Mile High Club
by Babypeach16
Summary: Bella is a stewardess on Volturi Air, and after a bad break-up with Captain Mike, she sees no harm in an in-flight hookup with a bronze-haired stranger. Two years later, will her past come back to bite her, or are she and Flyward meant to be?
1. Prologue

**The Mile High Club**

**Preface**

Secret: I am a member of the Mile High Club.

"Bella, you shouldn't be here," Alice said worriedly, rubbing my shoulder.

"What do you mean?" My voice was dull, and I didn't bother to look at her, focusing instead on opening the aluminum tabs on a row of Coke cans. "I'm scheduled to work today. I'm here."

"I know, but," she bit her lip "everyone would understand if you took a few days off."

I gave a short laugh. "Yeah, I bet the higher-ups of Volturi Airways would be really understanding if I stayed home and watched Gossip Girl and FRIENDS re-runs and gorged on icecream because I just got dumped by my boyfriend, who happens to be the captain of this airplane. Right."

She looked at me shrewdly for a second before whipping out her cell phone.

"What're you –"

"Rose, I need you to come cover for Bella. Uh-huh. I agree. I'll call Jasper and have him cover for you. Thanks, see you in five."

"Alice," I shot her an aggrieved – albeit grateful – look; I couldn't have found a better friend. She _was_ crazy, though. "You can't just –"

"Hey Jazzy," her voice shot up girlishly as she dialed again. "Will you do me a favor? I need you to cover for Rose, who's gonna cover for Bella." She actually shifted her body into a flirtier posture, as if Jasper could see it over the phone. I looked on, incredulous, shaking my head furiously at her. "Yes, I know it's your day off. I'll make it worth your while," she promised, and I moved away a few feet, alerted by her tone that I didn't want to listen too closely to their bargaining terms.

Whatever she said, he was stationed at Rose's boarding pass-collection counter within minutes.

"Alice, you are too sweet," I mumbled. "I don't you bargaining sex for me!"

She waved away my concerns with a hand. "Listen, the flight doesn't board for another fifteen minutes – I happen to know, courtesy of Rosalie, that this flight isn't fully booked. Hide out in the back for a while so that bitch Jessica doesn't get on your case, and then get yourself a nice empty seat in first-class. You know she only serves in the back, so she won't bother you in the front."

I threw my arms around her neck. Thank you, little genius.

_Two hours later…_

"More champagne, sir?"

"Yes, and some more for the lady, too, I think."

I giggled as I looked over at my handsome aisle buddy. We had first class all to ourselves, and I had really lucked out. Charming, intellectual, and hot as an Arizona summer, Mr. McFly and I really hit it off. We'd spent half the flight chatting it up, and it had really taken my mind off Mike.

Actually, it had really taken my mind off everything.

Rosalie gave me the mother of disapproving looks as she poured me a fourth glass of bubbly. She couldn't deprive me, although I could tell she thought I'd had enough; if she made a scene, it would raise my first-class friend's suspicions, and we could all get fired.

As far as he was concerned, I was a passenger, too. Before I had gone to hide in the back while the plane loaded, Alice had taken my stewardess' pin, scarf, and nametag. All I had to do was throw a sweater over my button-down, and I looked like a casual traveler.

I liked that I could hold a conversation with Mystery Hottie without any nosiness on his part. We didn't exchange personal information, not even names, and this made me bold.

"Lissen," I was slurring slightly as my glass drained down. "I have an idea. Actually, never mind."

He looked at me seriously with too-bright green eyes. They were so pretty, they hurt to look at. The intensity of his gaze was actually making me dizzy. Or it could have been the alcohol.

"Tell me," he insisted.

"You probably wouldn't want to…but I was thinking if you did, we could…" I jerked my head toward the first-class bathroom, hoping that my suggestive tone would help him fill in the rest.

His eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"See," I mumbled. "I knew you wouldn't want to. That's why –"

"No, that isn't it," he interrupted, running his hands distractedly through his messy bronze hair. "I've just never had anyone suggest…anyway. I'm game if you are."

I grabbed the front of his tie and pulled, giggling when he stayed trapped in his seat by the seatbelt, worn low and tight across his lap like it should be. I leaned down to snap the buckle open, and led him to the bathroom, pulling us inside and shutting the door.

"Ever done this before?" I whispered, loosening his tie as I leaned back against the wall.

"Not on a plane," he said, his voice a cross between amusement and incredulity.

"Me either," I admitted.

"What happens if we get caught?" he asked, not sounding alarmed, but merely curious.

"I dunno. Get a certificate as members of the Mile High Club?" I speculated.

We stopped moving for a moment and listened to each other breathe. And then, he kissed me.

I blinked as he pulled back, and kissed me again. I responded, throwing myself into the kiss. I was the first one to slip my tongue inside his mouth, reaching for something. I wanted this. I had initiated it. It was one way to get over Mike – that had been my original thought. But now, I only thought of McFly and how absolutely delicious he was. I wanted him, for no other reason than his existence.

My fingers reached for the collar of his shirt, pulling the buttons undone one by one before I flattened my palm against the hard muscles of his chest and abs.

"Damn," I muttered.

"Thanks," he chuckled.

I let my hands snake down to the waistband of his khakis, swiftly undoing his belt while he ran his hands through my hair and moved it to one side so he could place a series of kisses along my neck. With his pants down around his ankles, I knelt and took him into my mouth, surprised by how much of him there was.

I pulled my lips back with a 'pop' to say, "Damn," again, and he groaned, gripping my hair with gentle urgency. I gave the tip one quick swirl with my tongue before ducking down to the base, licking back up again. I increased my intensity with the fluctuations of the plane, the vibrations from the engine helping me get into a steady rhythm. His strong hands clutched my shoulders as he came close to his release, the necessity of our silence overwhelming.

"Almost there," he warned me in a low, ragged voice. I didn't pull away; the cramped space meant that moving out of the way was virtually impossible, and any mess would be hell to clean up.

McFly hissed as he hit his release, shuddering as I licked base to tip one last time, with a little extra suction for good measure.

"That was amazing," he growled, lifting me up by my waist and setting me up on the sink. Thank God for industrial block airplane sinks – it took up half the bathroom, so I had no worries about falling off.

His hands moved swiftly up my skirt while I leaned back, trying to find a comfortable position against the fingerprint-smeared mirror. Pencil skirts, I reflected, particularly those of the airline uniform variety, were never really made for activities of this nature.

I hopped down to assist him by unzipping it, eliciting a soft groan. His hands slid up my sides under my shirt, slipping beneath my bra to cup my breasts with his warm hands, rolling a nipple between his fingers, and then the other one.

Our time was limited, so the girls were deprived of lip service, but I wasn't disappointed as he lifted me back onto the counter, parting my thighs to move his head between them.

His tongue flicked out and moved along my opening, and I had to stifle my moan, thrusting my fingers into his hair. He circled the bundle of nerves at my center with long, languid strokes, driving me crazy by slipping two fingers inside of me and curling them against my G-spot. He knew what he was doing – he knew when I was close and slowed down each time, teasing me.

"Tell me your name," he whispered.

I wanted to resist, but I knew he wouldn't give if I held back.

"Unghh! Bella," I moaned, quiet and desperate.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella." He pressed his thumb down hard and curled his fingers inward and I grabbed his head in my hands as I shook, falling apart as the plane hit a spot of turbulence. Amen!

I fell on top of McFly as the worst possible thing happened: my ex's voice came floating over the loudspeaker.

"This is your captain speaking; we will be experiencing some bumpiness momentarily – please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts."

Someone banged on the door, and I clutched McFly's arm.

"Shit. Maybe if we just stay silent…"

"Excuse me," Jessica's obnoxious voice penetrated the plastic barrier of the door, accompanied by a series of raps. "Sir? Or ma'am? You need to return to your seat as soon as possible."

We frantically set about pulling on our pants and skirt, respectively. McFly pointed to himself, raising a single eyebrow in such a sexy fashion that I wanted to jump him again. Instead, I nodded, _yes, you go first_. I'll just hide out here and pretend that I'm not a hooky-playing stewardess.

With a quick smile, he slipped out, and the door banged shut as I heard Jessica reprimand him, "Sir, please return to your seat."

I almost smiled, except for the fact that Jessica was still at the front of the plane, which meant that I was stuck in this stupid bathroom for possibly the duration of the flight.

I didn't have long to wait, though. As soon as McFly assured her that he would, in fact, obey the fasten seatbelt sign, Jessica flung open the door to the bathroom and tried to bustle inside, except for the fact that I was currently occupying it.

Her eyes grew wide as saucers. "_Bella_?"

Busted.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N - Thank you so much to all of my readers! This entire story is dedicated to NewTownGirl, without whom it would never have seen the light of day. Sweetie, thanks for all of your encouragement and dedication! xoxox**

**Chapter One:**

Secret: I hate my new coworker

"Bella," Alice tugged on the bottom edge of my navy blazer in what she thought was an inconspicuous manner. Her tone, though was anything but. "Check out Mr. McFly over there."

Her finger was nearly quivering with excitement as she pointed at our new captain, standing alone at the edge of the tarmac. I squinted, but I couldn't really make him out from this distance. All I could see was a tall, lean figure, clean cut and professional in the standard uniforms we were required to wear. The only thing that set him apart was his captain's cap.

I rolled my eyes, amused by Alice's enthusiasm. He must really be something to get her this worked up; her own boyfriend, Jasper, was extremely easy on the eyes. As our co-worker, I had almost had the hots for him, but Alice called dibs on his first day.

We were a tight knit little crew, and when our little airline tanked in the economy, we had worried about being separated. Fortunately for us, the new mega-airline bought us out, and we were all employees of Cullen Air.

"And I thought you only had eyes for me," Alice whirled in surprise as Jasper snuck up behind her, wrapping his long arms around her tiny waist.

"Jazzy, don't _do_ that," she scolded playfully. "Besides, I was scoping him out for Bella, not myself, obviously."

I grimaced. The eternal third wheel, I was Alice's favorite project. She was forever looking at 'prospective candidates' for me, and to keep her in check, I occasionally had to remind her that I was not, nor would ever be, a contestant on The Bachelorette.

Besides, there was no chance that I would date the newbie. I knew better than to get involved with someone at work. As far as I was concerned, Alice and Jasper were the exception, not the rule.

"I have to pee," I announced. Alice rolled her eyes at me, and it was a little disappointing to me that I'd known her long enough that my frankness rarely got a rise out of her anymore. Two years ago, Alice would have unleashed a loud "EW! T.M.I.!" and given me a lecture on what was public versus what was private, as dictated by her southern socialite mother.

"Be back before the workshop starts," was all she said.

"T.M.I." Jasper muttered as I walked away; I reached back and slapped his arm.

The locker room was a strange place to count as a favorite hang-out, but for me and my sad little life, it was a decent escape. I sat down on one of the slotted wood benches near the showers and leaned my head against the red metal lockers, closing my eyes to think.

The merger was a pretty significant transition, and I was not a big fan of change. The best part was that I got to keep Alice, Jasper, and Rose. The second best part was that I rarely had to see TBJ – That Bitch Jessica – and Mike the Motherfucker, except for the very unfortunate occasions where I happened to bump into them at airport terminals. I quickly pushed them out of my mind.

What is past is past, I reminded myself. The past doesn't affect your future, so you might as well forget about it.

I was forced to recant my statement no less than five minutes later.

Sighing, I had stumbled over to the toilet stalls, realizing that I actually did have to pee. As I did my business, I contemplated whether or not I wanted our new co-workers to be hotties – it never hurt to have some nice eye-candy, but I sort of hoped that they would be lacking in the personality department: then I wouldn't be tempted to pull an Alice.

Speak of the devil…I heard the door to the locker room swing open. Alice coming to check up on me, no doubt. Before she could harass me, I beat her to the punch.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," I griped. "Wouldn't want to miss the riveting first five minutes of orientation."

I shut up when I realized that the patter of footfalls on tile fit feet far larger than Alice's. Oh God, what if that was my new boss? What an awful first impression. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

I opened the stall door, crimson-faced, hoping to repair any damage I had done. A simple apology should –

But then I saw him. HIM.

We stared at each other in shock before I shrieked, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE? This is a WOMEN'S locker room!"

Instead of bolting like I'd expected him to, he stayed rooted firmly to the spot. I clamped a hand over my mouth. I hadn't intended to be so obnoxious – it was a reflex reaction. I could have been in junior high gym class all over again. Poor guy – he probably thought I was going to file a sexual harassment suit against him, or something.

A little calmer, I took a look at him, and my jaw dropped for the second time in one whole minute. OH. MY. GOD.

It was McFly. THE McFly. The original, the one Alice and I had named all the other nameless hotties after.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded.

He held up his hands, palms facing outward. "I'm so sorry – it's my first day here, and I got lost, they said the men's locker room was over here, but I see I picked the wrong one. It was completely unintentional," he assured me.

Did he recognize me? If he did, he sure wasn't acknowledging it.

"Men's is two doors down," I corrected. In all fairness, I couldn't blame the guy. The doors were very poorly labeled due to budget cuts, the layout of the hallway confusing. "Wait a second – what do you mean, first day?"

"I'm the new captain," he said nervously, twirling his pilot's cap in his hands.

SHIT. "SHIT." I said.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking perplexed.

I sighed, turning back to face him. I pulled my hair back, so he could see me.

"Bella?" he said in astonishment. I was surprised, and touched, that he'd remembered my name.

No, I chided. Pull yourself together, Bella. This is very, very bad.

"Wow, it's wonderful to see you again – I didn't know how to find you …but it looks like you aren't exactly thrilled to see me," he finished grimly.

"No, no, it's not that," I assured him quickly. Part of me – the part that wasn't drowning in mortification and fear and bad memories – was thrilled to see him again. He had been truly amazing, a blip in the line of my steady dull life. Even after three minutes of reunion, I could see that I still felt the chemistry between us.

"What is it, then?" he asked, one eyebrow quirked deliciously.

"How do I say this?" I wondered aloud, while he waited with patient skepticism. I bit my lip, deciding that whatever Alice might say, candidness had always been the best course for a terrible liar such as myself.

"You almost got me fired."


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N - Let the awkwardness ensue... ;)**

**Chapter Two**

Secret: You know those books by Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events? Well, they were written about my life. Not really. But they should have been. Because my life is a damn sight more awkward than those dumb orphans.

This would happen to me. It should have come as no surprise, because I was the sort of person that these things happened to. If there is any potentially awkward or embarrassing incident to be had, I was recipient numero uno, judging by the way my life had progressed over the past twenty eight years.

For the most part, I had no complaints. Not when I got my period in tenth grade Spanish class, and that happened to be the day that we'd rotated around the room every five minutes to practice speaking with partners. Not when I'd described to Alice in great detail how "highly fuckable" I considered a former colleague of ours, only to turn around and find both him and his girlfriend standing behind us. Not even when I'd walked in on That Bitch Jessica and Mike the Motherfucker having loud animal sex in the women's locker room three days after my sexcapade with McFly.

But now? Now I was pissed.

Was it really so much to ask that I could have a single indiscretion without it coming back to haunt me two years later in the form of my NEW BOSS? And now I was staring at Captain McFly, whose name I still didn't know, cursing Charlie and Renee for ever having been foolish enough to conceive an unfortunate fool like me.

"…and a great big welcome to our new captain, Edward Masen!"

I missed the name of his burly co-pilot, because I was too busy re-christening him.

Edward.

McFly.

Flyward.

Yes…Flyward. I shot him a glare that was part admiration, part please-expire-promptly-and-do-us-all-a-favor-and-by-all-of-us-I-mean-me. The corner of his mouth appeared lifted, as if he were actually _amused_ by our little predicament.

How dare he! It wasn't as if – during our little tryst – he had had anything to lose. No, I had been the flight attendant masquerading as a passenger. I had bumped into TBJ during my two foot walk of shame back to my seat from the bathroom. I had been subjected to an inquiry and a suspension at work as a result of my indiscretion.

And him? All he did was sit there looking pleased as punch to be the new captain, for the plane that included hookup-girl as a beverage server. Brilliant.

Alice shot me a questioning look, having observed me glaring daggers at Flyward for twenty minutes straight. What else was there to do during a boring work lecture when your new boss was someone you'd happened to have a one-flight stand with? If I could have turned my eyes into flamethrowers, I would have.

"Alright," our ground-director, Mr. Banner said with a cheeriness that was absurd, given the disinterest levels of all his employees grouped around the table.

"We're going to pair up now, and get to know one another. There is a hat with each of your names coming around. We're going to count off in twos. The ones will pick first, and you'll spend the first five minutes with that person, and then the twos will pick, and you'll switch."

I ceased my eye-stabbing of Flyward to stare in disbelief at Bumbling Banner. I mean, what was this – freaking freshman orientation? My colleagues looked just as enthused as I was. Alice and I exchanged a grimace. I knew that if we hadn't been seated, we would've pulled the old gym line-up trick and moved over one, so that we'd end up on the same team when we counted off.

"One," she said with boredom, as the count-off reached her, and selected her slip of paper from the hat. I tried to read the name over her shoulder, but she held it out of my line of sight.

"Two," I sighed. Of course, I always came in second. I idly repeated the children's rhyme, which had never really provided any measure of comfort to anybody: "First is worst, second is best, third is the one with a hairy chest."

Which was so not true, obviously. Nobody could call Alice the worst at anything, by any stretch of the imagination. And I was never best. And…I turned to look at Rosalie on my left, out-bored-ing Alice with a single disdainful glance at the hat, and snickered as I realized that she was third in this scenario.

She glared at me as she plucked a slip of paper from the hat, knowing – if not exactly what I was thinking – that it was something she wouldn't approve of. Rosalie had a knack for knowing these things. I sighed, looking down at my empty hands. Face it, Bella. Even if Rosalie _did_ have a hairy chest, she could still score way more hotties than you. There's probably some weird kind of fetish for that.

"O-kayyyy," Mr. Banner said, impersonating a game show host, and earning himself a dozen politely incredulous looks. "Now it's time to reveal your partner!"

"Tyler Crowley," Alice read off.

"Emmett McCarty," Rose yawned. I caught the burly co-captain give a subtle fist-pump under the table. See? I don't have to listen to introductions. I'm plenty perceptive. Right.

"Bella Swan," Flyward said quietly.

I might've choked on my own spit just then.

See? What did I tell you? SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS = MY LIFE (or lack, thereof).

"Okay," Bumbling Banner repeated, blissfully unaware of my mental hemorrhaging. "Now I want you to get with your partner and learn five things about them, and then we'll all report back to the group. Get ready…set…go!"

Seriously. What sort of messed-up Unity Day conference had the higher-ups sent him to? It was like his brain had been taken over by the let's-all-get-along pod people.

Glumly, I stalked over to where Edward stood, a little half smirk planted on his yummy lips. No. Strike that. His lips are not yummy – he is the enemy. _Are enemies allowed to have yummy lips? _I wondered. GET A GRIP.

"Listen," I hissed, jabbing my finger into his chest when Bumbling Bob wasn't looking. "We can skip all the bullshit, okay? I already know five things about you. One," I ticked off a finger. "Your name is Edward. Two, you know how to fly a plane. Three, for reasons unknown, you like to sit in first class when you're not in the cockpit. Four – the classic boxers or briefs question – your boxers came from Banana Republic. And Five, you have no problem hooking up with random chicks in airplane bathrooms. We're done."

I turned to go back to Alice and Rose, but he caught my arm. When I looked at him in surprise, I was even more surprised to note that he looked mad.

"One," he said in a low voice "I think you'll find that _you_ propositioned _me_, if you examine the archives of factual memory. Two, it is not in any way, shape, or form my fault that you nearly got fired. I'm very sorry that there were repercussions for you, but bear in mind that I was not the one who initiated, nor was I on duty, nor did I file any comment or complaint of any sort. Three, as far as boxers and briefs go, I like to mix it up. Four, I do not hook up with random chicks – I believe I told you that that happened to be the first time that I'd done anything of the sort. You were charming, I was attracted, we had been drinking alcohol, you asked, I accepted, we both wanted to, end of story. And Five, because I really don't think you're actually going to repeat any of what you just said when Banner calls on you, I like chocolate milkshakes, I hate jellyfish, I had a fear of heights until I was eleven and my dad took me on my first plane, I used to have a golden retriever named Pongo, and on my nights off, I like to cook gourmet."

"Alrighty, time's up – who'd like to go first?" Bumbling Bob asked, his face falling a little more with every second that passed without any takers. "Ah, Bella, I see you've met our new Mr. Masen – why don't you tell us a little about him?"

Typical.

"Ah, err," I stumbled, and then rattled off the last five things he'd given me, hating myself as I did it, knowing he was right. About everything.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N - Enjoy! Alice gets involved...of course...**

**Chapter Three**

Secret: I hate my best friend. Really. She doesn't believe me, but I do.

"I hate you," I reminded her, as she jammed me into the backseat of her stupid, shiny little sports car that really only had room for her and Jasper up in front.

"No you don't," was her witty rejoinder.

"Yes, I do. I really mean it this time," I insisted.

"Oh, please. You'll get over it."

Alice hummed contentedly as she held hands with Jasper over the stick shift. Gag me. I resisted the urge to poke her in the back of the head and inform her that one hand on the steering wheel was not, in fact, part of the rules of the road. I didn't want to play the bitter third wheel tonight, though I had plenty of reason to be bitter. I settled for staring out the window instead, brooding as I thought of my horrific night ahead.

Jasper turned around in his seat to offer me a sympathetic grin. Of our little group, he was the empath. Which made him the perfect match for little miss suck-it-up.

"Don't worry, Bella – we'll be with you the whole time," he assured me.

"That's a comfort." I muttered. I felt bad about being sarcastic with Jasper, who was always such a sweetheart, but I wanted to make it clear to Alice that even the charms of her Jude Law lookalike husband were not going to get her back into my good graces anytime soon.

"Stop being such a brat," she commanded, taking one hand off the wheel in order to reach behind the seat and slap me in the head. Of course control-freak pixie was in the driver's seat. I glanced down at Jasper's lap. He was still the one wearing pants, but his mini-dress clad wife was most definitely in charge.

"It's just one drink," she reminded me in a conciliatory tone. Just one drink…

I scurried away from Edward as soon as Bumbling Bob announced that it was time to switch. How embarrassing. I had completely humiliated myself, acting like a psycho bitch when the cause of my aggravation wasn't even really his fault. On the bright side, I hadn't actually had to reveal anything about myself but my temper.

With chagrin, I noted that it was my turn to pick a partner. I shoved my hand ungraciously into the hat when it came around to me, but I was beyond grateful when I read off the name. Alice.

Somebody up there really_ does_ love me.

I practically tackled her as I hurried to her side, eager to dish on Flyward.

"Ugh, that Tyler guy is such a prick!" she complained, before I could open my mouth. "I had to not-so-subtly flash my ring three times before he took the hint and stopped hitting on me – though I don't think he even saw the fact that I'm married as a roadblock…"

"Alice," I interrupted "Captain McFly –"

"Ooh, yes, how was he?" she asked eagerly "You lucky bitch, I wish I –"

"Alice, Captain McFly is THE McFly."

That shut her up. Momentarily.

"Wait…" she said slowly, and more quietly than I believed her capable of. "Do you mean to tell me that our new captain – Captain Edward – is the very same random passenger that you all but fucked in the first-class bathroom two years ago?"

I nodded bleakly while stepping on her little foot to encourage her to keep her voice down. Pointless, really, because she burst into hysterical laughter.

Everyone looked around at us, startled by her raucous giggles, and I flushed when I accidently made eye-contact with Flyward.

"Oooh, boy, how did that go?" she panted, coming down a little.

I glared. "Terrific, thanks for asking. I officially bumped myself up on the bitchiest-woman-on-the-planet list."

"How did you do that?" she asked more sympathetically.

"I basically blamed him for the big to-do afterward with the inquiry and the suspension," I admitted, feeling ashamed.

"That's probably not the most conventional way of securing the affections of the man of your dreams," she agreed.

"Please," I snorted. "He is soooo not the man of my dreams. I mean, yeah, he's hot, but beneath that sextastic exterior he's probably just another slimeball."

"I don't know," Alice countered, chewing her lip thoughtfully. "I thought it was pretty cute – the stuff about his childhood fear of flying and everything. And you know you're such a chocolate whore – I could totally see the two of you getting' it on with a couple of chocolate milksha-"

She cut herself off as Bumbling Bob passed by us in his circuit of the room. "And I've always had this secret desire to go scuba diving…" she fibbed loudly, trailing off as he passed out of earshot. "Anyway," she continued, picking up where she'd left off. "A golden retriever named Pongo? Too. Cute."

"Puh-lease," I said again. "I mean, yeah, it's cute, but as if any of it was real? Those are probably all just made-up lines that he uses to attract chicks."

"You think?" Alice said doubtfully.

"Absolutely. I mean, first of all, if you're going to name a dog Pongo, it should at least be a Dalmatian –"

"Alice, why don't you tell the room five things about Bella," Mr. Banner suggested.

Fuck. New nickname for you, Bumbling Banner – Bob the Bastard. Can he wreck it? Yes, he can!

"Sure thing, Mr. Banner," Alice chirped, and I knew I was in trouble. This girl knew everything about me, more than I knew about myself, probably. I tried to convey my urgent message with my eyes: _you better keep this PG and blush-free, pixie, or so help me I will kick your bony little ass right into next week._

She tossed me a charming smile to show that she was wholly unimpressed by my menacing stare, and turned to the group at large. "Bella likes chocolate, long walks on the beach, and gingers," she threw in for Edward's benefit, whose bronze hair was a little on the reddish side, at least compared to the heads of everyone else in the room. "Bella has always admired people who play the piano, and gets really embarrassed when forced to reveal personal information, like now," she finished with a smirk.

Not exactly painless, but at least she kept it PG.

"You're dead," I whispered to her anyway, as Mr. Banner – or Bob the Bastard, I should say – moved on to his next victim. It was the kind of relationship we had. I always acted more upset than I really was with her, and by doing so, she kept herself marginally in line. Not that anyone would ever take my threats seriously.

Which was why now, three days later, I was practically trying to claw my way out of the back of her little convertible, and Alice barely batted an eye.

"Jeez, Bella," she chided. "Give the poor guy a chance. This is an opportunity for you two to make up, remember. I mean, you were pretty chilly to him all week."

This was true. And putting it mildly, as a good best friend should. For all seventeen flights over the past three days, I had ignored Edward whenever I saw him. I felt bad about that, but I was even more embarrassed, so my priority was avoiding him, not setting things right.

Which was why I was royally pissed with Miss Thang for inviting Flyward to drinks on Friday night.

I knew how this was going to end. Even though Jasper had insisted that he and Alice would be right there, and that I wouldn't have to do much talking at all, we all knew – all of us except for the newcomer – that Alice's tolerance for alcohol as a lightweight was extremely low, and she and Jasper were so very much in love that they would end up making out in some corner, leaving me with Flyward and an awkward situation.

"We're here!" Alice announced unnecessarily as the car screeched to a stop by the curb. She hopped out and flung the keys to the valet, skipping over to my window to tap sternly on the glass.

I heaved a sigh, put on my best martyr face, and rolled out of the backseat, walking tall as I faced cocktails with the cockpit crew.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N - Hope you all are well! This is coming to you from a hotel computer - thank goodness for complimentary business centers! Enjoy! Drunken shenanigans coming up...**

**Chapter Four**

Secret: I actually don't mind having my mental faculties inhibited by alcohol when I'm near extremely attractive and charming members of the opposite sex. In most cases.

"C'mon, Bella, drink something," Alice hissed in my ear.

"No, thank you," I replied stiffly. Even if keeping my wits about me tonight was the more painful course of action, it was also more prudent. Especially considering that the man who would soon be sitting opposite me was one who I'd had no problem jumping the last time I had encountered him while inebriated.

"God, you're so frigid when you're sober," she complained.

Before I could give a snappy retort, we both shut our mouths as Edward approached. Flyward coming in for a landing, turbulence upon arrival?

"Hey," he said a little bashfully, his hands in his pockets. My eyes narrowed. What was he trying to pull with this aw-shucks crap? He already had Alice eating out of his palm – she thought he was some adorable boy-next-door who opened doors for old ladies, and adopted three-legged puppies, and happened to look like a Calvin Klein model.

"Hey, man," Jasper returned, as Alice and I were too busy competing for the table's best fish-face award to make any sort of greeting.

And then it was our turn.

"Edward!" Alice stood up and kissed him on the cheek as if they were old friends. If he was surprised, he did a good job of hiding it. "I'm so glad you could make it."

I glanced at Jasper to see what he made of all this. He looked calm, but that was nothing new. He was so sure of Alice, that her little actions, no matter how outwardly flirtatious they might seem, never ruffled him. That made one of us.

Edward thanked her and turned to me, his green-eyed gaze slightly sardonic.

"Good evening, Bella," he said politely.

"Evening," I repeated.

He sat. And there was silence for what felt like a whole two minutes. But, when I checked my watch, I saw that it hadn't even been a full twenty seconds. And believe me, I was checking my watch pretty often. I could not wait for this evening to end.

"So, Edward," Alice began without concern "how are you liking our little plane so far?"

Flyward smiled. I hated how much my body loved that crooked smile – I was ready to jump over the table.

"It's great," he said. "It's really nice to see how your little crew is more of a family. I think Cullen Air could use more of that. I also think that my boy Emmett has the hots for your Rosalie."

Jasper snickered appreciatively. Who _didn't_ have the hots for Rosalie?

"What do you think of the merger?" I found myself asking. Clearly he was on Cullen Air's team. I wanted to see how the tuna fish airline felt about swallowing our little plankton airline.

"I think," he said thoughtfully, taking a sip of his drink, which had magically appeared on Alice's signal to her favorite waiter, Francois. I looked down and was surprised to note that I had a drink in front of me as well. Francois was good… "I think that while some people will initially take issue with it, in the long term, it will be a positive change for both airlines. Collaboration leads to innovation, and I think that there is a lot that we can learn from each other."

Wow. That was surprisingly…deep. No, no, that was probably just Vivian talking. Shut up, Viv, you whore.

Vivian, otherwise known as cooch, had come to be named as a result of Alice's meddling, as did most everything in my life. Alice, as interesting as she was when she was sober, was infinitely more fascinating when drunk. On one night in particular, I had received a 2:30 am call from her, with instructions to go to my computer, pull up Wikipedia, and hit random article. When I read off my article, Vivian Leigh, Alice had laughingly informed me that that was my cooch's new name. Hers was The Bomberman Quest. Of course she _would _get the cooler one. Whatever, Scarlett O'Hara was pretty feisty, so I figured getting the actress who had portrayed her was just as good.

I digress…

Just because Vivian and The Bomberman Quest fell for Flyward, did not in any way mean that Bella's Brain believed any of his seemingly heartfelt words. As brain put it, "pffft. Spoken like a true Cullen Air public rep."

"Awww, that's sooo sweeet," Alice cried, reaching out with one little hand to touch his arm affectionately. Well. The Bomberman Quest was in strong showing tonight. I glanced at Jasper, hoping to share a commiserating look of _please keep your wife under control_, but he was staring at her drink, which had magically vanished, leaving only a maraschino cherry, which she was attempting to fish out with her little finger.

At least Vivian did not stoop so low.

Edward turned to look at me. "How do _you _feel about the merger, Bella?" His voice was pleasant, and definitely not accusatory, but I still felt a little defensive. Was this some sort of trap?

"I agree that it could be good in the end," I said, sucking up a healthy amount of alcohol through my straw. "But I think it will take a while for things to…mesh."

"That's reasonable," Edward said softly. We exchanged a look, and I was trying to interpret what his green eyes were communicating…

"Rose may not be a mesher," Alice admitted "but for your boy Emmett, I have a feeling that things are gonna be meshing preeeetty good. Hey, you're hot," she said, turning to Jasper.

He grinned at me briefly before she straddled him and covered his face with her own. Sucker.

Edward and I stared at them for a good ten seconds before our grace period of voyeurism ended, and we were forced to look back at each other. Awkward. I went to take a swig of my drink, but stopped myself, lest I let Vivian take over and do something I regret.

"Hahaha," I laughed uncomfortably.

Edward looked at me, unsmiling. "Bella, I hope I'm not ruining your evening by being here –"

"You?" I shook my head. "She's the one who dragged me out in the first place." I jerked my thumb toward Alice, whose limbs were currently indistinguishable from Jasper's.

This earned a brief grin from Edward. "Yeah, me, too," he said. "She just cornered me after that flight from Maui – Emmett, too, but once she admitted that Rosalie had other plans, he sort of bailed on me."

"Lame," I agreed. "Yeah, Rosalie usually comes with us." And keeps me from being a third wheel. It was bad enough that we had to be a part of Alice and Jasper's date night at all, but Alice knew perfectly well that I wouldn't leave my apartment on Friday night of my own free will. I'd be perfectly content to sit home with my KitchenAid mixer and bake a few dozen cookies while watching old Meg Ryan chick flicks. At first, I had felt sorry for Jasper when Alice brought me along as her favorite accessory, but I soon learned that he didn't mind – as long as he could get her a little tipsy, he was a happy man.

"Alice said that she had a workshop?"

"Oh, yeah. 'Pottery class'." That was our cover story for the pole dancing lessons that Rosalie gave once a month. She had had a far more interesting four years at college than I had. It was just a hobby for her now, something to supplement her shoe fund once a month. Alice and I loved Shoe Saturdays, when Rose took us shopping the day after.

Edward nodded. "I think Emmett's got it bad for her. He's not usually the touchy-feely type, but this morning he was going on about love at first sight."

I sniggered. "Yeah, there's a lot of that going around near Rosalie. But…best of luck to him. She's a handful. I think it could work out for them, though."

Edward and I smiled at each other, and then another awkward silence ensued, as neither of us could think of anything to fill the gap. Until Alice detached herself from Jasper with an audible _pop!_ and demanded that we all go dance.

Ignoring our profuse protests, Alice grabbed me with one hand and Edward with the other, and dragged us with a surprisingly steel-like grip toward the dance floor. Jasper ambled after us with his hands in his pockets, grinning ear to ear. He was content with the knowledge that he was so gonna get some tonight. Apparently, drunky Alice was never sloppy.

"Wait!" I cried, snagging my drink off the table right before Alice pulled me away. I downed it and slammed it on the bar as we moved to the dance floor.

Feeling the buzz, and against my better judgment, I actually started to have a good time.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N - Hey all! I just wanted to thank you for all of your reviews and tell you how much I appreciate them! I am running a festival this month, so I apologize for my lack of response, but as soon as it's April, I promise to reply to all! In the meantime, dance like no one is watching...or just dance like Alice. ;)**

**Chapter Five**

Secret: My idea of dancing is standing in place, shifting my weight from one foot to the other.

"Dance!" Alice demanded, nudging my shin with her stiletto. And when I say nudging, I mean digging the tip into my skin. Yup, I was going to have a bruise.

"I _am_ dancing," I retorted, throwing in a little jazz hands for her benefit. It didn't matter anyway, because a half second later, she gave up on me and began to do the vertical horizontal tango with Jasper. Essentially, fully clothed sex on the dance-floor. It was part of her weekly routine.

Jasper and I were used to this. Edward was not. He eyed the happy couple with some skepticism, unsure whether to be amused, grossed-out, or alarmed. He settled for amusement.

"Would you care to dance?" he asked with twinkling eyes, holding his right hand out to me.

_Um. Duh_, said Vivian. _Oh, why the hell not_, sighed Brain. "Sure," is what I ended up saying aloud. "But," I placed my hand inside his, enjoying how very large and warm and manly it felt "I have to warn you, I'm not very good at dancing."

He raised a skeptical eyebrow. Damn. Viv licked her lips.

"I have trouble believing that," he said smoothly, pulling me gently toward him. "I think that you can succeed at anything you put your mind to. And so far, your track record is working in my favor."

I blushed as I realized what he was alluding to, but all coherent thoughts flew out the window as a fast, sensual song came on, and his hands were on me like quicksilver.

And what lovely, large hands they were. Vivian all but purred, because even though she wasn't getting any action, there was something definitely erotic in the simple way he gripped my waist. It was technically PG, but I felt warm whenever his hands moved, to spin me, to bring me close, to tease me by pulling away again.

I had to stifle my gasp when he flipped me around so my back was pressed against him. I didn't want him to think I was in any way affected by him, or anything. Instead, I focused on the perfect amount of pressure he used, as his hands slid down to my hips, swaying me from side to side. Not too loose – I always hated the awkward hesitancy of guys who acted like it was a junior high dance – and not too tight, which was even worse, and smacked of creepy desperation. Just right.

I wanted to smack myself in the face. What was I – clubbing Goldilocks? Next thing I knew I would be climbing into the just-right bed like a little fairy tale whore. Viv applauded this notion.

Fortunately, my imprudent lust was interrupted by drunky Alice, who – despite the best efforts of Jasper – had mounted the bar. She danced like no one was watching, alright, though everyone most definitely was.

Even drunk, Alice was still hot, I realized enviously, and she was about one in every three hundred people who managed to stay amazingly coordinated when sloshed. She twirled gracefully in her minidress, leaping effortless over a line of Cosmos, causing Francois to rush toward them in panic. She landed lightly on the edge of the counter without disturbing a single drink, and shimmied near the bowls of cashews, olives, and maraschino cherries.

Every guy in the place, minus Edward, Jasper, Francois, and the bartender Ted, cheered. I shook my head in disbelief, wondering how this sort of thing had been occurring for months, and yet we still hadn't been thrown out. There was like this unspoken agreement between Alice, Ted, and Francois – as long as she didn't cause any damage, she could do whatever she liked. It was good business, and I had a sneaking suspicion that a fair number of the barflies were there just to see her.

But, being new, Edward did not know this. "Isn't he going to get her down?" he asked me tersely, jerking his head in Jasper's direction.

I shrugged. Jasper was clearly too mesmerized by his own wife's technique to feel jealous that all the other guys were staring too, let alone find the initiative to take her home.

"I see." Edward squared his shoulders and marched over to the bar. I stared after him in amazement as he wrapped his strong arms around Alice's legs and plucked her right off the bar as if she were a daisy in a field.

Stoically, he turned, with Miss Thang dangling over his shoulder and beating her tiny fists in protest, and marched back to us through a sea of irritated pervs.

"She's all yours," he said lightly to Jasper, who caught his wife, looking bemused.

"I like this guy," Jasper said to me. He turned to Alice, which wasn't very hard to do, as she was hanging off his neck with both arms and attempting to go for the Guinness World Record for most hickeys given in a minute. And Alice never, ever does things half-assed. She was a girl with her eye on the prize.

"Let's get you home," Jasper groaned, looking like he was rapidly losing a major portion of functioning capillaries. "Hey man, would you mind making sure Bella gets home all right?" he asked Edward.

"What? Jasper, I'm perfectly capable of –"

Jasper fixed me with a stern look. "Bella. Contemplate: what exactly would Alice do to me if anything happened to her best friend, and it was in any way partly my fault?"

OOH.

"Plus, you know," he grinned. "I'd miss my favorite third wheel."

I punched his shoulder affectionately, but he was a little preoccupied by keeping Alice from undoing his pants right there.

"Edward?" he repeated, dragging Alice toward the door.

Edward nodded solemnly "I'll get her home."

I turned to him, whispering "That really isn't neces–"

"Please, I insist."

We turned and followed the happy couple outside.

"Please fix her up before Shoe Saturday," I implored Jasper as the valet brought the car around.

"Nothing the Keurig can't fix," he replied, referring to their top-of-the-line coffeemaker. "Night, y'all."

"The Bomberman Quest shall be completed tonight!" Alice crowed, as Jasper tucked her into the backseat.

"What was that?" Edward asked in confusion.

I shook my head at him. "Need to know. And you most definitely do not want to know."

We watched them speed off into the sunset, or what would have been sunset five hours prior. Edward glanced down at me, his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Do you want to go back inside, or do you want me to take you home…?"

"I'm pretty sure Alice left some alcohol on our table," I said.

Secret: Alice is a horny drunk. I, on the other hand, am a bitter, nasty, angry drunk.

"That was a very… dangerous maneuver."

"Then it's a good thing I only had one drink," Edward said, sounding vaguely amused.

"You drive shpeedy fasht," I slurred. "Mebbe you should let meee drive."

"Maybe not," he replied. "You, Miss Swan, had a grand total of four drinks."

"Jerk," I huffed.

"Whatever you say," he muttered.

"Shhhho, Flyward, how doesh it feel to be the bosh of the woman you fucked?"

"First of all, I'm not your boss," he said, looking slightly angered. "Secondly, I did not – we did not _fuck_. Thirdly, you're drunk."

"Am not," I retorted. "But really, how doesh it ffffeeeel?"

"Right now?" he frowned at me. "Right now it isn't so great. Not when the woman is drunk, and won't let go of one unfortunate coincidence. Before? Before it was pretty nice, when we talked and danced."

"Coinshidenshe?" I repeated. "That…coinshidenshe nearly losht me my job!"

Flyward looked pained. "Look, and I'm sorry about that, but there's really nothing I –"

"Shhhave it," I told him "For your next bathroom conquesht."

"We're here," he said quietly, pulling up to the curb in front of my apartment. "Goodnight, Bella."

"I hate you," I said, falling out of the door. I stumbled up the steps and made it halfway to the door to my building when my heel caught in the groove between two concrete slabs. I tipped sideways and sprawled on the grass.

The world was a blur of colors. I saw a lot of dark blue, with fuzzy orange lights on poles, and green lines that tickled my nose, and a big silver blob that made my eyes hurt…stupid shiny Volvo.

"Okay," someone sighed, hoisting me off the ground, and taking the keys from my hand.

"Hey!" I complained, but the stupid shiny Volvo owner ignored me, and everything was nice and black.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N - Hey Chickies! Are you ready for spring? I know I am! Enjoy this one :) And thank you for the reviews!**

**Chapter Six**

Secret: My friends are all fly like a G-6. I am only about as fly as a G-5.

"Kill me," I groaned.

Alice sipped her Starbucks with a condescending little shake of her head. I had just finished relaying my horrific story of last night's events, after her departure. Edward and I had been having a perfectly good time. After my second drink, I loosened up, and we talked and danced. After my third drink, I started stumbling around, and he suggested that it was time to leave. After my fourth drink, he firmly bundled me into his car and drove me home, where I proceeded to transform into MegaBitch, hounding him about the dumb bathroom incident. At least I knew how to exit a bad situation gracefully: I passed out on my own front lawn, leaving him to carry me up three flights of stairs and tuck me into bed.

"Well. That isn't exactly the best way to get him. But, it's fixable."

I stared at her with wide eyes, and quickly lowered my eyelids to half-mast. Too bright. The fluorescent lighting of the mall was squint-inducing. I should have skipped Shoe Saturday.

I was so jealous of Alice. It was so not fair that I should have a best friend who gets drunk after half a drink, yet maintains her coordination, is a funny, hot drunk, gets to go home and have great drunk sex with her Texas Jude Law boyfriend, and then is fresh as a daisy for shopping the next day. Especially when I was alone, and bitter, bitter, bitter.

"How," I inquired "is it fixable?"

"Edward's a nice guy," she said, sipping her caramel-caramel frappuccino.

"Thanks," I grumbled. "Make me feel worse."

"I'm just saying, he's likely to forgive you, since he's not an asshole. I mean, if he was nice enough to carry you up two flights of stairs after you chewed him out, then there's definitely a 78% chance that if you throw on a hot little outfit and go and say you're sorry, he'll forget all about it. You know what? We'll even get you a tight little skirt to wear once Rose gets here. Handled."

It must be nice to live in Alice's world.

Before I could set about explaining to her why not everyone's conflicts could be solved by amping up sex appeal, Rosalie turned up with boy toy in tow.

"Hey, girls, sorry I'm late – I hope you don't mind that I brought Emmett."

Alice and I both shook our heads quickly to indicate that no, we didn't mind (I stopped shaking mine almost instantly, after remembering that I had a killer hangover headache). Of course we didn't mind – it was Shoe Saturday, and Rosalie was the main benefactor to the shoe fund, which meant that she could have showed up with just about anyone – except, in my case, for TBJ and MM – and we would have fawned over them. As it was, we liked Emmett, and we were dying to watch the two of them interact.

"Morning, ladies," Emmett grinned. "I hope you don't mind that I'm tagging along for your little estrogen-fest."

Rosalie smacked his arm. This was good. She only hit the keepers.

"Not at all," Alice beamed, eager to drill for juicy relationship details. "How is it that you knew to tag along?"

Rosalie and Emmett exchanged a loaded look.

"Well, when I heard that Rose was busy last night, I didn't want to be a fifth wheel when you all went clubbing, so I hung out with another friend, James, instead," Emmett explained, looking sort of sheepish.

"James' idea of a night out was to hit the strip," Rose pitched in, smirking "which included my classroom."

"Imagine my surprise," Emmett went on "when my buddy takes me into a pole dancing studio, and there she is, Miss Pottery Class, sculpting at the wheel."

Rosalie hit him again, but she was smiling. It was obvious how happy they were, and did I detect a hint of post-coital glow? It wasn't hard to figure out how _their _night had ended.

"Anyway," Rose said, sitting down in an empty chair, "I suggested that Emmett come for breakfast, at least, to, um, get more acquainted with you guys."

Emmett was charming, in a goofy, rugged, sexy teddy bear sort of way. He made Rosalie happy. He made Alice laugh. More importantly, he could dish the goods on Edward.

"High school?" Alice repeated with delight. "What was that like?"

"Fun," Emmett assured her. "Edward was a bookworm, and I was the quarterback, which gave me the occasional privilege of shoving him in a trash can."

We all laughed.

"He got me back, though," Emmett said, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "In senior year he became captain of the cross country team, and all the girls started chasing after 'the sensitive jock'. We tied for prom king, and decided it was lame, and broke our crowns into little pieces and gave them to all the pocket-protector geeks, so that they could be prom king, too. After that, we became best friends, and we've been inseparable ever since."

Awww.

"In fact," he went on "it's really thanks to him I even have this job in the first place."

"How so?" Alice asked, leaning forward with curiosity.

"Well, after his parents died, Edward went to live with his aunt and uncle, and –"

"WAIT." I held up my hand as Alice gasped and Rosalie's jaw dropped. "_What?_ His parents _died_?"

"Yeah," Emmett looked more serious than the three of us had ever seen him. "Our junior year in college, Edward's mom and dad were killed in a car accident when they were on vacation. He finished college, but he was pretty devastated, you know? That's why he's taking time off to do this whole piloting stint, sort of a finding himself thing. I mean, he doesn't really need to work at all really – he's set."

"What do you mean?" Alice prompted.

"Carlisle and Esme," he said, matter-of-factly. When all three of us looked blank, he elaborated, disbelieving. "Oh, come on, you ladies aren't seriously telling me you don't know any of this? Anyway, after the accident, Edward went to live with Carlisle and Esme – Esme was his mom's sister – and Carlisle gave me my first job. He's a good man, Mr. Cullen. Good family."

"_Cullen_?" Rosalie repeated. "Are you saying – are you saying that in all the time we spent together last night, you neglected to mention that our new captain is the nephew of the owner of Cullen Airways?"

Emmett shrugged, clearly not realizing that he was about to receive a signature Rosalie blow to the back of the head. "More like a son, really. Carlisle's like his second dad. OW!"

Alice shot me a meaningful look. As the pieces clicked, I felt like my caramel-salted hot chocolate was about to come right back up again.

I had got it on in a bathroom with Flyward while impersonating a first class passenger, danced with him at a club, yelled drunkenly at him, passed out on him, and been carried to bed and tucked in by him. Flyward, who also happened to be as good as the son of the owner of my current place of employment.

Right now, the last thing I felt was fly.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N -I do not own Twilight, as much as I would like to...sigh. At least I have Flyward to fool around with ;)**

**Chapter Seven**

Secret: Despite the fact that I am currently employed as a flight attendant, I have a slight fear of flying.

I didn't know what to do. How could I apologize when Edward was avoiding me? Well, okay, to be fair, I was kind of avoiding him, too. It wasn't my fault that I had a major fear of confrontation.

And so, life went on.

"Good morning," I said, standing in my position at the door, while Edward came aboard and went into the cockpit after Emmett.

"Good morning, Bella," he said politely. And that was that.

Normally I was in charge of the safety demonstration, but my inability to put things right with Edward made me irritable, so Alice took over, lest Cullen Air stock take a hit due to my indifferent attitude, or whatever. Which made me juice girl.

"What would you like to drink?" A Sprite, a Coke and a Cran-Apple juice for the little blond girl, the little old lady, and her husband.

Bump.

"What would you like to drink?" Two Cokes and a coffee for the obese man, the hipster college kid, and a thirty-ish woman with the Dolce and Gabbana bag.

Bump. Bump.

I felt the familiar twinge of fear in my stomach as I glanced out the window and moved to the next row. We were stuck in a cloud formation. I hated the cloud formations. I liked being below the clouds, when you could see all the little houses and pools like blue confetti, or above the clouds, when it looked like Antarctica. Being in the clouds scared the shit out of me, because all there was, in every direction, was white.

Bumpity-Bump Bump. A baby started crying.

"Miss?" I turned to the man with a handlebar moustache and a cowboy hat on his lap. "Is this turbulence normal?"

"I'm sure it is," I assured him. "Once we get through this cloud formation –"

Swoop. The plane dropped like a rollercoaster, and shot back up again, causing several people to scream, and me to spill my apple juice.

"Let me go check with the captain," I said nervously to Mr. Western, who was looking suddenly pale.

I moved back up the aisle, dragging my drink cart with me, as the plane moved into a progression of steady rattles. I had to grab each seat back on the aisle to keep from falling over, and I didn't know where Alice was. In first class, probably.

Oh, God, we're going to die. I'm too young to die. I can't die alone! That's just too pathetic, and sad, and…totally my life. PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER.

I hurried to the front of the cabin after stowing my drink cart so it wouldn't roll away and mow somebody down, or anything.

"Alice? Alice, where are you?"

"Over here." Her voice was far more subdued than I had ever heard it, and this scared me. Did she know something I didn't? We _were_ going to die!

I found her putting ice to her head. I rushed over.

"Oh my God, what happened?" I wailed.

She gave me a strange look. "Nothing, one of the bags fell out of the overhead compartment. No need to get hysterical – that's my job," she joked. When I continued to hyperventilate, she got up. "Maybe you should sit down, Bella. For a stewardess, you get awfully jumpy whenever there's a little change in altitude."

"Little?" I repeated. "You call this little? I don't think I've ever experienced this much turbulence! In fact, I'm going to ask our dear pilots just what the hell is going on."

And with that, I marched right into the cockpit.

"What is going on?" I demanded of Emmett, who was in charge today, and Edward, who was off to the side as his co-pilot. They both looked at me in surprise.

"Nothing…it's just a little turbulence," Emmett said, looking a little scared of me. As. Well. He. Should.

Edward, on the other hand, looked less than impressed. "Everything's fine, Emmett's got everything under control. Once we're clear of the clouds, it should be smooth sailing, but for now, there's nothing we can do."

"Well," I said, starting to feel more than a little hysterical "if you're not doing anything up here, can you please come back with me and help calm the passengers? Because they aren't listening to me, and I think they would feel more reassured by someone with a bunch of little stars in their cap," I said desperately.

To my surprise, he agreed to come with me. He followed me out of the cockpit and grabbed the microphone off the wall.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he began in a low, soothing voice "this is your flight captain speaking. Right now we are experiencing some routine turbulence, but I assure you that once we clear these clouds, it'll be smooth sailing. Until then, sit back, enjoy the ride – it's just like Disney World without Mickey Mouse."

A couple of people chuckled weakly, including me.

"Thank you," I said faintly, leaning my head against a plastic wall.

He looked down at me with raised eyebrows. "No pro–"

We hit another bump and the plummet scared me so badly that my mind went completely blank, letting Vivian take over. Because, hell, if we were going to die here, I was not going to die alone – I was going to go out with a bang. Which might explain why I flung my arms around Edward mid-turbulence and snogged him senseless.

"Whoa," was what he said when we broke away, the path of the flight having leveled out. I turned crimson when I noticed about fifty passengers staring in our direction, their eyes bugging out.

"I don't think that was necessarily the best way to reaffirm your whole professionalism thing," he whispered. I stomped on his foot. And let me tell you, those heels that Cullen Air makes us wear? It couldn't be doing wonders for his toes as I crushed them, and yet he didn't even wince.

Needless to say, I hightailed it back to economy class with my beverage cart.

When we finally landed, I did my best to usher everyone off the plane as quickly as possible, all so I could escape to my car without any comments from Edward. Unfortunately, one lady from Boca Raton – according to her T-shirt – was convinced that someone had stolen her purse. I was patient, and waited with her until all the other passengers disembarked. As it turned out, she had stowed it in the overhead compartment, not under her seat as she'd thought.

I didn't stick around to hear her embarrassed apologies – I had my own embarrassment to escape. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough, because there, leaning against the door with a giant smirk on his face, was Flyward.

"Was that your idea of an apology?" he wanted to know. "Unorthodox…but effective."

"Look, it just happened," I sighed. "But…I really am sorry. About the other night. I meant to apologize to you about that, and thank you, but…"

"You were too embarrassed?" he supplied, noting my current blush.

I nodded.

He held out his hand to me. "What do you say, truce?"


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N - Hi, everyone! So... I know it's not Friday, but I have a big event tomorrow, so I thought I'd post this sooner rather than later! I will be answering ALL reviews next week, including the ones from weeks past. Until then, have a great Thursday, Friday, Saturday (and Sunday comes afterwards) ;) Leave some love!**

**Chapter Eight**

Secret: In my opinion, men and women can never, truly, be "just friends". Exhibit A:

After our truce, Edward and I inexplicably became friends. Well, maybe it wasn't so inexplicable, since our best friends were dating. It was really weird, actually. Emmett and Rosalie were a confirmed item, and Alice and Jasper were, of course, still married, which meant that Edward and I were effectively the only singletons on the plane. In fact, we were the only two people who weren't partnered up with someone _within_ the flight crew.

For this reason, among others, Alice seemed to think that Edward and I were destined for each other. I mean, only in her little world of Martha Stewart-y, chick flick-ish perfection would this be a completely obvious conclusion.

Apparently not, though. Because as we'd been getting along like the best of friends, I'd begun to notice that Edward and I were acting a little chummier than "just friends" usually did. For instance, I noticed that he'd begun to wait for me after everyone else had gone home, and walked me to my car – like anything was going to happen to me in an airport parking lot. Still, it was sweet. I in turn – under Vivian's mischievous influence, no doubt – had begun baking for him. It was my Sunday night hobby, but now I actually had somebody I wanted to bake for – every day of the week.

I was in trouble, and I knew it.

Brain launched an offensive against Vivian, creating a list of pros and cons as it became clear that Edward's asking me out was inevitable.

Pros:

He was hot

I already knew we had chemistry

He was a good guy

He was funny, interesting, and smart

I felt safe with him, even when I thought the plane was crashing

If we were going out, we could finish what we had started in that bathroom, and I probably wouldn't get fired.

But there was the rub.

Cons:

He was basically the son of the owner of my employer, Cullen Air

I'd already received a severe warning and been put on probation the last time we'd had relations.

Essentially? As much as Flyward was perfect boyfriend material, I didn't want to find myself out of a job.

I communicated my concerns to Vivian, but she was highly unimpressed. Especially when Edward asked me out, sooner than I had anticipated.

He'd caught me after work, about two months after our second meeting. He had suggested that we stop for ice cream on our way home – it was a Friday night in June, the air was warm, and the stars were out. How could I refuse?

I should have known something was up when, instead of grabbing our gelato and heading back to the car like normal people, Edward asked me to take a walk with him. He was lucky that it was such a nice night, and that our little gelato place happened to be on the edge of a park. We strolled along the path, not having much scenery, as the faint light from the street lamps didn't do much to illuminate the flowerbeds lining the walkway.

I shivered in the light breeze, and was surprised to find myself leaning into him. I was even more surprised to find his warm hand around mine.

"Bella," he stopped, and I stared determinedly at my coffee gelato. "There's something I wanted to ask you."

"Mmhmm," I mumbled to my gelato. His fingers gently caught my chin, and tilted it upward so I had no choice but to look at him.

"With your permission," he said quietly "I'd like to take you to dinner tomorrow night. On a date."

I opened my mouth to say something, but I just closed it again. What could I possibly say? _I think you're amazing, and hot and all that, but oh, gee, last time you nearly got me fired?_ Oh, yeah. That was a winner.

"Obviously, I didn't want to rush things, considering the, um, circumstances under which we met," he said diplomatically. "After our truce…well, I've really enjoyed getting to know you, and well," he sighed, shaking his head before looking down at me again. "I can't seem to get you out of my head."

Vivian cheered. Brain dithered. I was just one very confused, stumbling Bella.

"Oh," was what I said.

"I wanted to wait to ask you out, to do this right, and at this point, I didn't think I could or should wait any longer. So, Bella, may I take you out to dinner tomorrow?"

"I'll have to think about it," I said nervously, chewing my lip. Did I want this? It was totally a chick flick-y moment, but I was sooo not Meg Ryan, or Jennifer Aniston. I didn't know that in situations such as these, you are supposed to fling your arms around the guy and have a passionate, unbridled make-out session while the camera pans a 360 degree view of it. I only did that when it looked like I was about to die in a matter of seconds. Hence the turbulence incident.

Edward smiled gently. "If the word 'yes' doesn't come immediately to mind, then I obviously overestimated my timing skills."

"Edward, I –"

"Don't worry about it, Bella. It's completely fine."

We walked back to our cars in silence, and if Vivian had had a knife, she totally would have stabbed me in the back like my own personal Brutus. Et tu, Vivian?

"You said what?" Alice howled.

I cowered behind my frappuccino. It was Shoe Saturday yet again, and I had a feeling that I wasn't going to be receiving a large portion of the shoe fund today, due to my – in Alice's eyes – grievous misbehavior.

"Do you mean to say," she thundered "that you could be shopping for the perfect date outfit right now, but instead you will be sitting home tonight with another pathetic batch of cookies?"

"Hey, I like to bake," I said, a little defensively.

"Isabella Marie Swan, if you do not accept his offer, I shall annihilate you."

"It's just…awkward, you know?" I put forward feebly. "I feel like… he's almost too nice to date. I feel like I messed everything up so much already that I'll just screw up something else. Besides, I could get fired. Possibly."

Alice softened a little. "You won't mess it up," she promised. "And you won't get fired. And furthermore, if you don't agree to go on a date with him, I will tell him that you won't date him because you're afraid of getting fired, and also because you're chicken.

"I am not chicken!"

"And what's more," she continued dangerously "I will tell him about Mike, and how he was just your drunken rebound."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Wouldn't I?" she said evilly. "You need to move on, Bella. Mike isn't worth your time. If you're not ready for a real relationship, at least have some fun."

I hung my head with shame, thinking how even after all this time, I had been known to think of Mike and TBJ…the two people I hated most, and who, as far as I knew, were still together.

"Do it," Alice advised, more gently now. "Give Flyward a chance. Prove to me that you're over Mike."

"I'm over him," I declared, thinking with some small measure of guilt of the box underneath my bed that still held his things and pictures, the facebook messages and emails that I could never bring myself to delete.

Alice handed me her phone.

"Fine," I snapped, dialing his number.

"Hello?" I felt my stomach drop when he answered, feeling vaguely uneasy.

"Hi, Edward, this is Bella."

"Bella! I didn't recognize the number."

"Oh, yeah…I'm on Alice's cell," I explained awkwardly. "Listen, I was calling to say that I'd love to go out with you tonight, if it isn't too late to RSVP."

Alice gave me an enthusiastic thumbs up. I flipped her the bird.

"Oh!" he sounded genuinely surprised, making me feel even worse. "Well, actually, something came up tonight…"

"That's okay," I said hastily, while Alice shook her head with a frightening glare.

"…But, if you're free, I'd like to make a date for Wednesday."

"Wednesday?" I repeated, and Alice looked like I'd told her he had a three-headed dog "Yeah, I'm free."

"Great," he said, and he sounded like he meant it. "I'll just pick you up right after work."

"Sounds good," I said. "I'll see you Monday."

"I'll see you then."

I flipped Alice's phone shut and handed it back to her. "Happy?" Alice rolled her eyes at my sarcasm.

"Who plans a first-date for a Wednesday?" she wondered. "Whatever, this is for your benefit. You'll get some, and you can't even get fired because he's the bosses' kid."

I knew that Alice really wanted us to fall madly in love and get married. I knew that her whole 'have some fun' thing was just a ploy to get me to agree to go out with him. Still, her arguments, if insincere, were fairly convincing. She could write a book.

Morals with Alice: A Three-Part Series On How To Hit It And Quit It.


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N - I am_ SO_ sorry for the delay! This is the first time I've had internet access all weekend - I hope this chapter is worth the wait!**

**Chapter Nine**

Secret: I don't like the process of dating. I'd much prefer to be home on a Friday (or Wednesday) night. However, there are a few exceptions.

I realized why he'd picked Wednesday when I picked up my flight schedule at the beginning of the week. Dinner-time on Wednesday would find us in South America. It was a good thing that being a native to Arizona, I had a fondness for Hispanic food.

Because Edward hadn't elaborated on just what we'd be doing come Wednesday, Alice had me prepared. In my locker, I had found three separate sets of clothing, because Edward had explained, if it was okay with me, we would leave right from work.

I had a party dress, a swimsuit, and a set of hiking clothes. Alice's imagination was way overactive.

However, she was nearer the mark than I was. When I went to my locker on Wednesday, I was forced to settle on the dress, because it would just not be classy to wear jean shorts and a t-shirt to a fancy restaurant, if that was where we were going. Edward was being awfully secretive about the whole affair, so I just threw my other clothes in my duffel bag for good measure.

I sighed as I pinned a chiffon flower clip into my hair. Of course it matched my dress; they were both the same deep blue. In Alice's world, everything came with matching accessories.

I worried that I would be over dressed. At least Alice had restrained herself, somewhat. It wasn't a terribly impractical dress, knee-length and frilly with spaghetti straps.

With one last glance in the bathroom mirror, I decided that I looked okay, but it still didn't help my nerves. It wasn't often that I flew international, and I was unfamiliar with the layout of this airport, so I was glad to find him waiting for me just outside the locker room.

"You look beautiful," he said sincerely as I came tripping out, my bag strap somehow getting caught in the door hinge.

He effortlessly released it and ignored my lack of grace, offering me his arm and leading me back onto the tarmac.

"I thought we were going to dinner," I questioned.

"We are," he smiled. "I'm taking you back to my place."

He helped me up the steps of a private jet, and though the last thing I wanted was to fly some more, I couldn't help but reflect upon entry that if Heaven looked like an airplane interior, then I was getting a preview.

It wasn't as ostentatious as most luxury planes – instead, it had an understated elegance with red wood paneling and buttery taupe Italian leather couches. Classical music played softly in the background.

"Is this yours?" I gasped.

"My uncle's," he shrugged. "He lent it to me for the evening. We'll be going to Isle Esme, a gift of his to my aunt." Edward smiled again. "My uncle and I usually like to take the speed boat, but Esme gets seasick, so Carlisle always keeps a plane on hand."

Smooth Operator.

He soooo thought he was getting some! A private jet? To a private island? On a first date?

Maybe Alice's cinematic world view wasn't as skewed as I thought.

"You think you're getting some," I accused jokingly.

"Clearly," he smirked, but he kept his tone light enough to let me know that he was joking, too. "I mean," he ran his hand over one of the sofas in a manner that would have made Vanna White weep. "These are real Italian leather." He wiggled his eyebrows devilishly, making me laugh, and Viv horny.

"True," I conceded, staying playful. "But…a Wednesday dinner date? That's a bit unorthodox, don't you think?"

"Well, if you want to wait until a more conventional time like Friday or Saturday, I'd be happy to hang out here for the rest of the week," he said pleasantly.

I stuck my tongue out at him and climbed into the cockpit.

"Let's see you work your magic."

He quirked an eyebrow, probably wondering whether I had intended innuendo in my command. I had.

"You have no idea how good this feels," I groaned, as we lifted into the air. "I can't remember the last time I flew and didn't have to drag that stupid drink cart around with me."

"I bet," he said. "You are an excellent beverage assistant. Though, I think I prefer when you do the safety demonstration. It's pretty cute when you put on the oxygen mask."

I hit him on the arm. "Keep your eyes on the sky," I said, but I couldn't keep from smiling with him as we began our descent toward the little island in the sun.

"Welcome to my humble abode," he announced smugly as we landed on a miniature airstrip. There was no sign of an airport, so I assumed that this was a private island. Just a hangar the size of a house for the jet, that's all.

Having grown up on the salaries of a kindergarten teacher and the police chief of a tiny town, I was slightly nonplussed. I mean, I knew he came from money, but seeing it in person was a wholly different experience. When he hung out with the crew, he felt like one of us. Now he felt like one of us with a seven or eight figure price tag.

"Wait…this is yours?" was my intelligent way of expressing how overwhelmed I was.

"Yeah, well, it was my aunt's – Carlisle gave it to her as an anniversary present, but he got her a bigger one for their last anniversary and they didn't need two, so I bought this one from them." Edward smiled slightly. "As creepy as it is to own an island named after your aunt, I couldn't imagine changing it to anything but Isle Esme."

"I don't think it's creepy," I murmured, not thinking about the name at all. "It's pretty." I was still astonished that all this belonged to him; not his family, but to one man in his twenties. At least I felt a little better that he had purchased it himself, which showed that he had good character…but yet, this raised more questions, like where that money had come from.

"Yeah, the name can be quite a chick magnet sometimes," Edward joked, watching the sky rather than my face, as I'd instructed.

My brow puckered. "How so?"

"Oh, you know," he said, very non-chalant "Sometimes, when they ask about it, I tell them about my ex-fiancée named Esme, with whom I was very much in love, but died tragically of tuberculosis when we were on a mission trip here to help impoverished children, two months before the wedding. It works even better than the "backpacking across Europe" story."

"You do not," I gasped, slapping his arm.

"Hey, flying here!" he groused, swerving the wheel a little for effect.

"I don't think taxiing into the hangar counts as 'flying,'" I retorted. "And anyway, I can't think of anyone who wouldn't know that Esme is your _aunt_."

"Shoot," he said, looking glum, but his eyes were dancing. "So basically, everyone is just dating me for my fame and fortune?"

"Pretty much," I assured him with a smile.

He smiled back, but his eyes turned a shade more serious then. "Is that why _you_ are dating me?"

I held his gaze for a moment, before rolling my eyes. "Obviously."

"I knew it!" he laughed. "A gold digger from the start."

"Born and raised," I played along.

We grinned at each other, but got quiet as he helped me out of the plane. It seemed kind of a waste to me to have all that nice furnishing at our disposal and not even use it, but…maybe later. Someone did have to fly the plane after all.

As I managed the last step without performing a face-plant, largely in part to Edward's guiding hand, I stared around me in wonder. The island was beautiful.

"Do you like it?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"It's completely stunning," I whispered back. I was completely absorbed in watching a flock of macaws take flight when Edward appeared at my shoulder, standing behind me as he handed me a startlingly crimson bloom.

"You know," he whispered in my ear. "This place has always been my oasis. Actually, the only person I've ever brought here is you."

I blushed and smiled at him, turning my neck to kiss him, but I couldn't help but to wonder why that made me feel more uncomfortable than flattered.


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N - Hola, chicas! This chapter is for mi Alejandro, mi cielo and partner in crime :3 Enjoy!**

**Chapter Ten**

**Secret: For most of my life, I have been held hostage by three cruel captors who dictate my every move. Their names are: Heart, Brain, and Vivian the Cooch.**

He led me to a tiny cottage; it was beautiful, not at all what I had been expecting. With all the prospect of the Cullen wealth and largesse laid before me, I had envisioned a sprawling hill-top mansion, great glass walls facing the ocean. Instead, I was presented with what appeared to be a thatch-roofed hut, but featured a surprisingly elegant and luxurious interior.

"Wow," I whistled, more softly now, looping my arm through his. We climbed the hill together to a porch dining-room, complete with steaming take-out.

"How did you - ?"

"A magician never shares his secrets." Edward winked at me, and I punched him in the arm for being corny.

"This looks delicious," I moaned, lusting over the native food and bringing a definite smirk to his face.

"It's not the only thing," he added.

I raised my hand, as if considering hitting him again to hide my embarrassment, but he caught my hand in his, securing my skin with strong fingers.

"You're beautiful," he said sincerely, stroking the back of my hand with his thumb. I ducked my head, supremely embarrassed.

"I'm starving," I announced, making a polite lunge for the container of food.

Conversation opened up after that, and it was like when we were merely friends. I was comfortable around him…he was like a brother; a brother I wanted to do not-so-sibling-appropriate things to…

As I pondered this, he led me over to a porch swing overlooking the dark water, tiki torches burning on either side of us. It was unreal.

"This is insane," I muttered.

He cocked his beautiful bronze head to the side. "Why?" he asked curiously, as if he really wanted to know.

I waved my hand at the absurdly picturesque scene, my skin glowing against the darkness. "It's too much."

"Too much in a bad way?" he asked quietly, and I instantly wanted to kick myself for my big mouth. Vivian was _this_ close to shunning Brain, and Heart was keeping silent.

"No, no," I rushed to correct my blunder. "I mean, it seems too wonderful to be anything but a dream – it's like a fairytale, you know?"

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and I heaved an inner sigh of relief as I watched his fragile male ego re-inflate. Really, I was such a dunce in this department that it was a wonder that I had managed to hold onto Mike as long as I had. I was clearly not built for romantic relationships.

The thought made me sad. I had only tossed out the comment as a private witticism, but I wondered if there wasn't truth to it – that I was destined to be alone. I knew how to be alone. I wasn't one of those girls who needed a man to feel complete. I knew how nice it was to feel loved and love and have someone to share things with…but I also knew the feeling of pain and humiliation when that ended. Maybe I was a person who wasn't meant for such things.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward inquired softly, reaching across the table to brush my hair off my face with his fingertips. I blinked, and was surprised to note that my inner monologue had so distracted me that I had set my fork down in favor of staring at my plate for more than a few seconds.

"How delicious the food is," I fibbed lamely, trying to cover my horrible bluffing skills with a giant grin. He had to know that it was a lie, but he nodded mildly and didn't say anything more about it.

We talked about many things over dinner, and it was as easy as our companionship when we had been only friends. I was feeling more comfortable with the situation, and it was clear that he truly did like me. Still, as he cleared away our plates of strawberry shortcake, I could feel myself growing more morose. Because, really, if I couldn't hold onto Mike, what were my chances with Edward, who was unbelievably handsome, and intelligent, and thoughtful, and kind?

He may be falling for me now, but I knew he would fall away later.

My desperation had reached fever-pitch when he returned with the can of whipped cream and a crooked smile.

"There's still a little left," he informed me with a grin, brandishing the whipped cream canister. "The shortcake only used a little, and this won't keep by the time I come back, so…"

I pried it out of his hand and did the only thing I could do, when Vivian, Brain, and Heart were engaged in a massive Bella-tug-of-war: I squirted him.

It could have ended so badly, this much I knew. With my penchant for awkward, unfortunate moments, the probability that I would ruin his shirt or alienate him was terribly high. However, the gods must have smiled on my moment of confusion and lust, because a perfect white swirl of cream landed directly in the center of his startled lips.

Before I could interpret the look of extreme surprise in his eyes, for better or worse, I lunged, bringing my mouth to his. His enthusiastic response left me with no doubt that he had been turned on by my spontaneous madness, and I began to forget the nuisance of my heavier thoughts.

Our kissing escalated, and though I hadn't intended to take things far when the date had begun, it was something I needed now. I didn't care anymore about how Edward would perceive this; if he really knew me, he would know that I wasn't easy, despite circumstantial evidence to the contrary. I just wanted to be with him more than anything at this very moment, and it was that simple.

As he backed me up toward the porch swing, I glanced at the house. I knew that he didn't expect anything more from me than a make-out session tonight, but surely there must be a bed…

I looked away, being honest with myself. I would save the bed for a truer, more genuine occasion. My premeditated seduction of Edward Cullen was driven by plain lust, confusion, and desperation. With the house out, the beach out (_no, thank you_ said Viv), I really only had one option.

"What do you say we finish what we started?" I panted, dragging him toward the plane.

Edward balked, stopping short and stopping me with him. "What, are you suggesting that we become fully fledged members of the Mile High Club?"

"Precisely," I purred.

"Not that I don't appreciate the idea, but I hope you know that if I try to fly this plane at the same time, we are definitely going to die, and there is no way that I would allow that."

"Foolish man," I leaned up on my tiptoes to kiss him, hard, sucking his lip gently between my teeth and pulling away fast to leave him wanting more. I watched his bottom lip redden with anticipation as I smirked. "Who says we have to be in the air?"


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N - Hey all! I just wanted to warn you - lemony bits here, but a little angst as well. Stay beautiful!**

**Chapter Eleven**

**Secret: I haven't been with a man in two years. I wonder why.**

I waited by the door, impatiently tapping my foot against the concrete of the hangar while Edward opened the plane. As soon as the steps came down, I seized his hand and bolted up the stairs, dragging him along. A lesser man would have tripped, but Edward managed it with far more grace than I. Just another little fact that made me sad.

To compensate, I grabbed him by the lapel and tipped him over onto the buttery Italian leather couch, and clambered on top. I tried – unsuccessfully – to rip his shirt off. His eyes widened with surprise and his lips spread into a slow grin.

"Slow down, there, tiger," he admonished gently, assisting me with his buttons so that I didn't rip any off.

I pushed the shirt right off his shoulders and placed my lips to the strong curve of his muscles, moving up to suck his neck. He ran his hands through my hair, twirling the strands between his fingers and massaging the roots. I moaned into his chest as he caught my chin and pulled me up to his mouth for a real kiss.

Without hesitation, I slipped my tongue inside his mouth to glide along the smooth lining of his lip, but to slow me down he gripped the tops of my arms and dragged me upright. Dizzily, I fell into his chest, and Edward held me there for a moment. I looked into his eyes, some of my desperation ebbing, only to be replaced by a new type of fever. I didn't just need this to forget all the sadness; I needed it because I _wanted_ him.

I tossed my arms around his neck and slung my legs around his waist, and we went spinning across the plane, rolling around the walls slowly and hungrily. Finally, we ended back at the couch again, where he laid me down gently, still clinging to his neck and waist. Ever so easily, he undid the zipper at the back of my dress without jostling me at all.

My eyelids fluttered closed and stayed that way for a moment, shut the way they are when you want to feel a song deep in your soul so it belongs to you alone, shut the way they are when you know bad news is about to be given and you want to prolong a last second of happiness.

Edward's lips touched my forehead and I opened my eyes at the realization that I was in very great danger of being too near to him, when what I wanted was physical closeness of the first order, with emotional distance.

"Edward," I whispered. "I want you to fuck me."

His lovely eyes widened, but they betrayed no emotion as they stared into mine, reflecting a certain charged blankness.

"As you wish," he replied, curling his hands around the fabric of my dress and drawing it down over my body.

He kissed a trail down my stomach, and I panicked, swatting his head lightly with my fingertips.

"What are you doing?" My voice cracked, as I tried to communicate what I couldn't say. "I don't want you to make love to me. Not now. There's no time for all that," I protested feebly.

Edward looked up at me, his eyes inscrutable. I tried to make my expression as unreadable as I possibly could.

"Are you sure you want this, Bella?" he asked, his voice low and hoarse.

"Yes," I whispered, shutting my eyes, waiting to be carried away.

"Then we do this my way," he growled, and flung my dress across the plane, kneeling before me to remove my panties with his teeth.

I heaved a sigh of relief that he seemed to be playing along with my ridiculous demand. He probably would never really get to know me, and maybe that was okay. He was getting to know me as a friend, but my behavior can't have given him the correct impression of me. To everyone else, I was "such a nice girl," sweet and shy. But with him, I had ruined that from the start. Not only had I hooked up with him as a stranger, but I seduced him on our first date, and when he wanted to make love, I corrected him with pleas for cold, hard sex. Maybe it was better this way. It hurt to think that he would never know me, but he could also never reject me for what I was. He could only reject me for what I wasn't.

I lost myself in his touch, pretending that the more I invested physically, the less my emotional investment became. I cried out when his lips took one long suction-filled pull, no one to hear us, no one to be quiet for. I shuddered against the sometimes soft, sometimes cool leather of the couch as his teeth grazed my skin ever so lightly, injecting a thrill into my system.

As he undid the clasp on my bra, I stroked his cock through his pants, forcing his zipper down.

"I want you now," I huffed as he sprang free, his hands moving to cup my breasts.

Edward sucked a nipple into his mouth in response, twirling his tongue in dizzying spirals that had me rolling my head back on my neck at an angle that my chiropractor would surely not approve of.

He ducked back down once to kiss my wetness, bringing his eyes to mine with a question: _Ready?_

"Edward," I groaned, and then he plunged inside me, stretching my eyelids wide in surprise. I panted for a moment, and he waited, stroking my face with light fingers as he watched me adjust. To say that it had been a while was an understatement.

While I loved the sweetness of his concern, the gentleness of his hand on my cheek, I hated it because it played on the feelings that I was trying to keep locked away in favor of the cold hard facts I could deal with. I grabbed his hands in mine and drew them downward, signaling that I was ready.

He kissed my chest as he started to move inside me, and I closed my eyes.

With each thrust, I got the impression that he was trying to be careful with me, afraid to hurt me despite my request for a fuck, and this made me angry. I made my own movements almost violent to compensate, brought him to the point where he had to clench his teeth to hold off his release while he fought to give me mine.

As he pressed his lips to my neck, I shuddered, clenching all round him as I tried to forget everything but a wall of blissful nothing. He followed soon after and I watched the expression on his face shift into an intense serenity. I closed my eyes before he could look at me, afraid of what I might see. We were in the danger zone of where the physical part dwindles in favor of emotion, and that I could not have.

"I'm going to wash up," I said lightly, detaching myself and sashaying to the back of the plane, scooping up my dress and other articles as I went.

I splashed water on my face and neck, staring at myself in the mirror. I was flushed, but there was no post-coital glow. There should have been; I knew without having to think through my past encounters that my short time with Edward was the best I'd ever had. Mike couldn't even bring me to orgasm half the time. But I still wasn't happy.

I walked back to him, trying to force a smile on my face, forgetting how people acted after something like this. Edward was sitting on the couch, fully dressed, his hands in his lap. He was looking at his hands, empty and facing the sky, and then he looked at me, and I knew my face didn't fool him.

"Well, that wasn't exactly how I expected this evening to end," he muttered, sounding somewhat sheepish.

"It wasn't?" I asked innocently. "Does your private plane always come stocked with condoms?"

I climbed into the cockpit and he followed in silence, unable to fathom my expression. I turned my face to the night.


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N - Sorry I'm late! By my watch, it's still Friday!**

**Chapter Twelve**

Secret: Never have I ever had a fuck buddy. With friends like Alice and Rose, who needs more benefits?

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Edward muttered, but there was a grin in his voice.

I snickered into my hand, gazing out at the cloudless blue skies. Savoring the scenery while I could – before I became scarred for good.

"This is ridiculous," he continued. I could tell he was a little tempted to swerve the plane, just for fun. But that would definitely forfeit our turn. "I feel like Austin Powers, or something," he complained.

"Hush," I shushed him, laying my hand on his arm and rubbing up and down.

"Eager, are we?" he muttered drily.

"Don't want to miss the show," I said lightly, trailing my hand down into his lap. The plane dipped.

"Bella," he hissed.

"MINUS TWENTY," hollered Emmett from the main cabin.

"Damn." I pulled a twenty from the roll of bills under my chair and placed it on the dashboard.

Edward sighed.

"I'll buy you a drink," I promised, and he looked sideways at me, like I was a beautiful and dangerous animal. I pushed all my hair to one side, reveling in the feeling.

"It's not the money, Bell – it's the fact that you scare the hell out of me. I feel like any moment you'll drive me crazy and I'll crash the whole damn plane."

I grinned like the Cheshire cat and walked my index and middle fingers up his thigh to emphasize his point, enjoying his groan. Edward gritted his teeth and kept the plane straight, just for the benefit of our earnings.

When we first set up the deal, I had negotiated a hundred dollar bonus for Edward and myself. On a fateful Shoe Saturday after my date with Edward, Alice, Rose and I had had one too many mimosas and concocted our crazy scheme. We'd get the boys to take us up in the plane, and then we'd take turns "enjoying the scenery". Hence, induction into the Mile High Club part three.

Today was Emmett and Rose's day. Technically we only needed one pilot, but I came along for Edward's emotional support. He may have known Emmett for years, but I didn't think he had any idea of how…vocal Rose could be. Her talents would be enough to unnerve any pilot, and I would be most put out with Rose if she inadvertently caused the death of my new…guy.

I hadn't exactly determined what Edward was, after our date. He hadn't asked me to be his girlfriend, but I knew he hadn't been scared off yet.

By the time we had returned from Isle Esme, I had calmed enough to feel ashamed for my desperation. I tried to make up for my behavior, and though he still seemed befuddled, he accepted my happier self without question. Since then, we had sunk into a comfortable routine, and I was more at ease around him. Whatever his feelings toward me were, to me, Edward was my fuck buddy, for all intents and purposes.

He still took me on dates, but I told myself that it was a friendly thing to do, so I reciprocated, showing him my favorite spots. We had the best of both worlds – we were close emotionally and physically without heartbreak in the equation. Basically, Vivian and Brain performed a coup that overthrew Heart and kept her locked in some deep dark hole. But it was working.

There was a vague grunt from the back, and I leapt up and shut the door. I ran my hand down Edward's arm and leaned down to whisper in his ear, enjoying the way the fine hairs on his arm rose at my touch,

"Brace yourself."

Within minutes, Rosalie started moaning away. Edward grimaced with each new decibel, and I decided to play a game to keep him preoccupied.

"Let's play 'Ghost'," I suggested.

He quirked an adorable eyebrow "What's that?"

"You know," I said, slightly disbelieving "you must have played this before – where I say a word, and you have to say the first word that comes to mind that begins with the last letter of my word."

Edward looked at me solemnly. "Why is it called 'Ghost'?"

I stared him. "I have absolutely no idea. But c'mon. Ghost."

He sighed. "Toast."

"Rhyming isn't included," I reprimanded. "Tongue."

"It's optional," was his retort. "Feeling a little sexual, are we? Emu."

"Emu? Seriously? Umbrella."

"Antelope."

"Existentialism."

"Macabre."

"Enough with the E's! Enough."

"Hot."

"Toddler."

"Incest much? Rabbinic."

"This isn't word association, dirty mind. Cactii."

"In-laws."

There was a pause where I was thrown off track by his subconscious' mind games. In-laws?

"Uhhhhh…Scrotum."

Edward choked, and the plane dipped again, eliciting a shriek from Rosalie.

"Damn." I added another twenty to the dashboard.

"On that note," he recovered himself "I was actually thinking that there was something I wanted to ask you."

Uh-oh. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, turning my face to the window on the pretense of putting the cash pile back under my chair.

"What are you doing next weekend?"

Oh. Phew. "Nothing," I hedged "why?"

"Well…I was wondering if you'd want to come home with me…to meet Carlisle and Esme."

Oh.

Shit.

Fortunately, my panic-induced stupor was hardly noticeable, as Rosalie chose that exact moment to scream for all she was worth. Emmett must be talented indeed.

I was not exactly calm myself, having been invited to meet my friend-with-benefit's aunt and uncle, who were practically his parents. I was not under the impression that "meeting the family" was part of typical sex-friend protocol.

"Sure," I heard myself say. "I'd love to."


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N - As some of you might have noticed, I'm working on replying to reviews! I got through a bunch, but I'll get to the rest soon - they are all very much appreciated! Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Thirteen**

Secret: At times, I am truly terrified of Alice. At times, she makes Rosalie seem like a fluffy harmless kitten. It is important to keep both of my friends from learning this, because Rosalie enjoys being scary, and Alice…well, I'm pretty sure she can smell fear.

"WHAT KIND OF IDIOT ARE YOU?"

A shoe sailed past my head and Rosalie batted it out of the air with her purse so that the stiletto heel wouldn't leave a dent in the plaster wall of the dressing room.

"Is everything alright in here, ladies?" a saleswoman asked reprovingly, the click-click-click of her shoes muffled by industrial carpeting.

"Fine, thanks," Alice called. "I just slipped."

How she could have slipped on industrial carpeting was beyond me, but the sales rep chose to buy her story, and quickly left me to my imminent demise.

"You must be joking," Alice hissed, clutching the straps of my dress in her hands, her big, probing eyes peering into my face. I glanced to the side for help from Rosalie, who stood idly by, examining her French manicure. "Don't you look to her," snapped Alice. "She won't save you, dumbass. God, you are so THICK sometimes!" At this point she unleashed a polite scream of frustration.

Rosalie turned her cool eyes on us, half amused, half irritated. "Seriously, Bella. I'm not about to go all Hannibal Lecter on you like Alice seems about to, but I have to concur that your ideas are more than a bit fucked up. So I suggest that you get them un-fucked up, before Alice fucks you up."

I was a little sick of being ganged up on in a dressing room, which might be why the words "PLEASE. Small fry here couldn't rough up a baby llama if she tried," tumbled out of my mouth. By the way, now might be an opportune moment to mention that my lack of confrontation experience was not a product of meekness, but of having the suckiest lines ever. Baby llama? What the fuck is my brain _on_?

I didn't have too long to contemplate what was wrong with my brain, however, because it was promptly bashed into the wall when Alice's miniature hands attacked my mid section, pushing and shoving. The pressure she exerted was light enough, but I was so surprised that I simply fell over. She didn't know that, though.

Rosalie seized her around the waist and hauled her away from me in a bored sort of manner as Alice continued to rail at me. "Oh, it's ON, BITCH! Let's take this outside! I'mma rough you up, alright – I'mma slap you upside your head SO hard it'll make your ANCESTORS DIZZY!" She took a few more swipes at me, but I was a couple centimeters out of her range, so I could afford to act unimpressed.

Provoking Alice had the entertaining – if dangerous – tendency of bringing out her ghetto side, a product of a few too many America's Best Dance Crew marathons. Alice thought she was a more stylish, less ghettofabulous Lil' Mama.

"I am so sure," I said with as much disdain as I could muster while trying to stare her down. "Besides, I don't know what you're attacking_ me_ for. I'm the victim here."

Alice's little lips popped open in an 'O' of disbelief.

"I AM GOING TO SHANK YOU WITH A TWELVE INCH RUSTY NAIL."

Rosalie rolled her eyes and dropped Alice, maneuvering herself so that she was between the two of us.

"Enough." We glared at each other under her arm.

"Bella, sit down," Rose ordered. "Alice, calm down." Grudgingly, we did so.

"Bella," Rosalie fixed me with a stern look, and I raised my chin in defiance.

"What?" I demanded.

"Don't sass me – you know what. You are going to screw up the first good thing – the first great thing – you've had in a long time, and we as your friends are obligated to prevent you from doing this."

"Some friends," I sniffed, pointing my toe and examining the peach chiffon rosettes on my pumps, the latest conquest of Shoe Saturday.

"We love you, Bella," Alice insisted, surprisingly docile now that her tirade had been cut short. "We want you to have the life you deserve – a beautiful one. And we think that you might be missing the boat."

"How so?" I asked, made a little uncomfortable by how reasonable they were starting to sound.

"Well, let's rewind to the beginning of this conversation, shall we? I was commenting on how nicely that raspberry dress goes with those peach pumps, and Rose was saying that the dress is a little too frilly for her taste, when you announced that Edward, your "fuck-buddy," invited you to meet his family."

"So?" I said sheepishly.

Alice's eyebrows drew together into two little lines of disapproval, which screamed, _I AM DISPLEASED. MOST SERIOUSLY DISPLEASED. PLEASE NOW EXPERIENCE MY WRATH, WHICH YOU SHALL NOT ESCAPE._

However, I could tell that she knew that the calm and collected thing was working for her, because she strained to keep her response under control.

"Bella. Fuck buddies don't take each other home to meet their families. Friends with benefits don't take each other home to meet their families. Hell, _I've_ never even introduced you to most of _my_ family, and we're best friends! What does that tell you?"

"Oh."

"Yes, 'oh'," said Rose, poking my shoulder. "Even if you think of him as a fuck buddy, he sure as hell doesn't think of you that way."

"Why, did he say something?" I asked worriedly. Alice and Rosalie exchanged a meaningful look.

"No, you moron – I mean, no, dear Bella," Alice backtracked after a light jab from Rose. "It is clear that he cares about you."

"Well, he sure never communicated that we were anything more than friends with benefits," I huffed.

Alice reached around Rose and pushed me off my bench so that I sprawled on the floor in a puddle of raspberry taffeta.

"You ruined the dress," I pouted, not because I cared, but because the best immediate way I could find to hurt Alice was to blame her for damaged clothing.

"Stay on track," Rose commanded, grabbing my face in both her hands while pinning Alice to the wall with her backside. Little wheezing sounds were coming from Alice, who may have been being crushed as she struggled to free herself in order to rearrange my face. "We are telling you this, because regardless of what you may say or think, Edward cares about you, and with your attitude, you are perilously close to messing that up, either by hurting him or yourself."

"Why are you siding with him?" I wondered.

"Because up until this point, you were the vulnerable party in this relationship. Now we are concerned that if this ends badly, it could affect all of us. He is a sweet man, and he is our friend now too."

I couldn't help feeling betrayed. How could my friends side against me? Weren't they supposed to hate everyone I date and cheerfully maintain the stance that "guys suck" whenever I needed them too?

Brain cautioned me that they were right, but Heart was indignant. Vivian was strangely silent, but maybe it wasn't so strange – it wasn't like she was getting any action out of this conversation.

"What do I do?" I sighed, giving in.

Alice and Rosalie exchanged another glance, but they seemed as clueless as I was.

"Just…be careful."


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N - I started this earlier in the week, so I tried to make it just a little longer for you! It's less angsty, at least - I hope you enjoy it :)**

**Chapter Fourteen**

Secret: I don't like meeting people's families. Maybe it's a consequence of shyness as a child, or a product of a small, rarely outwardly affectionate family. But this shit makes me uncomfortable.

"You look beautiful," Edward said simply as I walked out onto the tarmac. I acknowledged the compliment with a little jerk of my head that was meant to resemble a nod, but probably made me look spastic. To tell the truth, I was nervous.

I mean, how often do you meet the parents of the only guy you've been with in years, who HAPPEN TO OWN THE COMPANY YOU WORK FOR.

Not, in case you were wondering, very often.

To calm myself down, I thought of the occasions where I'd met Alice and Rosalie's parents. This was practically the same thing...no matter what propaganda Alice and Rose tried to shove down my throat. I knew they wanted me to be happy. Now that they each had their own better half, I saw that they wanted the same thing for me. I knew they worried about me...it _had_ been a long time since Mike, and there hadn't really been anyone else since, and as Alice pointedly put it, we weren't getting any younger. But still. I saw the pity in their eyes, and if there was anything I hated (one notch below That Bitch Jessica) it was that.

_Happy thoughts_, I reminded myself, snickering slightly as I recalled my first encounter with the Brandons. Alice had pulled together a girls weekend with me, Rose, and much to our surprise, her own mother. We were a little leery of the idea, as our girl bonding sessions generally included a lot of gossip, sex talk, and alcohol. Not exactly a great combo with a mother present. We were even more surprised when Lacey Brandon turned out to be the life of the party. A former debutante, Adelaide (_what an awful name!_ she had cried upon meeting us. _Call me Lacey_) had retained her Southern Belle charm, but was easy to relate to as a fun-loving girl at heart. We could see where Alice got her spontaneous affection from as she showered us in hugs within seconds, had us in stitches over a boyfriend she'd once had in the Caribbean whom she'd pushed off a jet ski, and downed a mint julep faster than you could say 'lickety-split'. Alice's father, Morris, was rather more subdued. His wife affectionately called him the enabler, courtesy of his easy acceptance of the Brandon women's weakness for fashion and fun.

I could totally deal with this weekend if Carlisle and Esme. But what if they were like Rose's parents...

Gisele and Jethro Hale were many things, and affectionate was not one of them. There manners were impeccable, and they were unfailingly polite, but they had none of the Brandon's warmth. I had met Rosalie's parents on only one occasion - her twenty second birthday. We had gone out for drinks, and then a quiet dinner, and we never progressed beyond small talk. I rather felt that Mrs. Hale looked down upon my dress, which was from Target, and was really all that I could afford at that time. I felt guilty for being a little relieved when Rose became estranged from her parents a year later, when they tried to force her to marry the son of a family friend, a royal prick named Royce King.

I gulped. This was so not helping.

Edward squeezed my hand and I glanced over to find him watching me. A blush suffused my cheeks as I realized my face must have reflected a rainbow of emotions, and I wanted to know what he was thinking - almost as badly as he probably wanted to know my thoughts.

"Don't you ever drive anywhere?" I grumbled as a diversionary tactic.

Edward snickered. "It's an awful long drive to Chicago, Bella. Besides, why take the highway when you have the skyway?"

I smacked the back of his head lightly for being so corny. "Tell me about Chicago," I begged, needing a distraction as I settled back in my leather co-pilot's chair.

"What do you want to know?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "I've never been there."

"Well, I grew up outside the city. We lived in a little red brick house with a picket fence - just living the American Dream," he laughed. Something in his laughter was off. I examined his face, and realized that he must have been thinking of his parents. Stupid Bella. I floundered for something to say, but he went on without me.

"Our neighborhood had a lot of big leafy trees, and it was beautiful, but the residents were mostly older couples, so I didn't really have anyone to play with. It got pretty lonely at times, but when I was ten, I started a dog-walking business. My mother was allergic to dogs, so we never had pets of our own, but I loved playing with the neighbors' dogs. It was pretty profitable, actually - since there were no other kids around, I had a monopoly and ended up saving up enough to buy a bike within a year."

I smiled at him, enchanted by the story. "What did your bike look like?"

"She was bright blue, with silver handlebars and a silver bell. I named her 'Blue Beauty,'" he said sheepishly, ducking his head in embarrassment.

"That's adorable. What are Carlisle and Esme like?" I was getting into dangerous territory, but I wanted to steer the conversation away from his parents, and I didn't know how long I could keep it up if we continued to talk about his childhood.

"Carlisle...Carlisle is the best man I know." I glanced over again to find Edward staring straight ahead at the blue sky, but it was apparent how much love and respect he felt for his uncle. "When I was little, I had a bit of a lisp, and so Uncle Carl became 'Uncle Cawl'. We fixed it later, of course, but Esme still likes to tease every now and then. She is a sweetheart if there ever was one - very maternal - but she could never have kids..." he trailed off.

I clucked my tongue sympathetically. "That must have been tough...no cousins?"

"No, I was the only kid in my family. It was pretty lonely at times, but I never had to fight for attention the way some people do. I always had four people I could count on to be at my piano recitals and baseball games, track meets..."

"You played baseball?" I smiled instinctively, picturing Little Edward at bat for tee-ball.

"Yes ma'am," he murmured. "I was the star hitter for the Redhawks. I never hit the ball high or anything, but I was pretty good little runner - we won the Little League championship three years in a row," he added proudly.

"I bet you were in cub scouts, too, weren't you - All American Boy?" I teased.

"I was campfire leader," he muttered, while I hooted with laughter. He was too perfect - so completely unattainable. The perfect boy become the perfect man. I had not been a perfect child, nor was I perfect in adulthood. I was...mediocre, if well-behaved.

"What sports did _you_ play?" Edward asked slyly, and I glared. He knew my coordination issues.

"None," I sniffed. "But I did do dance in Arizona for a couple of years. That ended well. Obviously."

"Oh no," he chuckled. "Did you take out a row of ballerinas?"

"If you must know, I managed to sprain both ankles and my left wrist in a single pirouette."

After I let him laugh for a solid ten seconds, I jabbed him in the ribs with my index finger and the plane swerved ever so slightly.

"Sorry," he choked. "Poor baby Bella. You'll have something in common with Esme, at least - she was once a dancer herself."

"Really?" I asked, genuinely curious. I still couldn't picture Carlisle and Esme, except as formidable shadows.

"Yeah," he said, his voice growing soft. "She was a ballerina - she stopped after a while, though, because she that it was why she couldn't have a baby. She never got back into it, so she took up interior design instead."

"That's sad," I said quietly. "Does she like what she does now?"

"She loves it," he beamed. "She'll want to give you a grand tour of the house, I'm sure. It's quite a step up in the world from my little red brick beginnings. She and Carlisle used to have a penthouse in the city, but she wanted a garden, so they moved just outside the city. Big yellow Victorian with turquoise trim."

"Wow," I said, a little lost for words. I stared out the window, trying not to spend so much time piecing together the lives of two people I'd never known. I wasn't sure why I was so anxious for them to accept me. They were just my...Edward's parents. And my bosses, in a way.

"There's Chicago," Edward announced, nodding through the clouds. I stared at the skyscrapers in wonder - a small-town girl at heart, despite my world travels - and tried to enjoy my descent.


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N - Thank you for the wait! I hope you like this one :)**

**Chapter Fifteen**

Secret: I always feel slightly awkward when seeing other people's houses for the first time: how many times do you say "you have a beautiful home" and mean it?

"You have a beautiful home," I said. And this time, I meant it. The Cullen house...more of a mansion, really, was surreally perfect. A great, sprawling Victorian with an immaculately kept lawn, majestic hundred-year-old shade trees, complete with porch and porch swing. God, it was turning me into a realtor. Carlisle and Esme were the same way - so lovely that it was almost painful to be in close proximity, because of the constant reminder that you could never hope to be quite so charming and good.

"Thank you so much," Esme said sincerely. She was soft and warm and elegant in a shirtdress and apron, offering me glasses of iced tea from a silver tray. "It's such a pleasure to meet you, Bella."

"The pleasure is all mine," I mumbled, blushing to my roots. I loved Esme already - I couldn't help it, she was one of those people that seemed more like a character from a fairytale than a real flesh and blood human. As welcome as she made me feel, there was something in the intensity of her gaze that made me uneasy. I was expected.

Carlisle was refined, but very welcoming. He was the sort of man to wear expensive Italian shoes without pretension. All in all, I tried (unsuccessfully) not to stare. My boss was _way_ hot.

"We're so glad that you've come to our home, Bella," he told me, and I am sorry to say that I blushed a little brighter, imagining for a couple glorious moments that we could be more than just boss/employee. But then I remembered he was Edward's uncle, and it was just...not kosher.

"I'm really glad to be here," I squeaked. I got the distinct impression that Edward was smirking behind me. He likely knew what I was thinking - he'd warned me of how women generally reacted to Carlisle. How embarrassing that I should be one of them, and that he would know.

"Carlisle, why don't you give Bella a tour of the library? I'm sure she'd love the rare books collection," Esme suggested.

Carlisle gave a mild smile. "What do you say, Bella?"

"Sounds great," I practically stuttered. Why, at a time like this - when meeting my bosses and practical parents of my sex friend - could I not conduct myself with a higher degree of grace and comportment? Wh_y yes, Carlisle, that sounds positively lovely. Please do lead the way._

I followed him out of the room, glancing at the enormous fireplace as I went. Edward and Esme trailed at a distance.

"Oh, Edward, she's lovely," she whispered as I made a big show of examining the family photos on the mantlepiece.

Carlisle showed me into the library, shutting the door as I walked in, astounded by the shelves upon shelves of books. Heaven. As the door shut, I spun, blushing instantly. Why would he need to see me alone? Was I being fired? Did he know something? Or did he _want_ something?

"Bella," Carlisle said suddenly, turning to face me. "At the risk of embarrassing Edward by doing so, please allow me to say how much of a pleasure it is to meet you. Esme and I are so pleased that he's found you. He doesn't show it much, but his parents' death changed him, and he's allowed very few people into his life since that time. Thank you for reminding him of his capacity to enter into new relationships and to open himself to the world."

I gaped. He smiled at me graciously.

"I'll say no more, except that both Esme and I truly look forward to getting to know you."

"Err...thanks," I stammered, and, feeling that was not enough, added a "really."

He nodded and continued to smile, looking away politely from my discomposure.

"Umm...if you wouldn't mind, I'm just going to use the ladies' room..." I shuffled awkwardly to the door, my face burning. I was moving quickly enough that I was halfway down the hall when I heard him call.

"Bella? The bathroom is the other way - last door on your left."

"Right. Thanks," I said loudly, skittering across the hardwood floor, dotted with oriental rugs.

Once I was in the bathroom, I dropped heavily onto the lidded toilet, fumbling in my bag for my phone.

"Pick up, pick up," I chanted fervently as I punched Alice's number on speed dial. I groaned when their recorded message came on.

"Hi there! This is Alice..."

"...and Jasper..."

"...we're not here right now..."

"...so please leave a message..."

"...and have a nice day!"

You could hear their faint giggles just before the machine cut off. Beep.

"Alice!" I said in panic, angry that she was somehow unavailable in my time of need. "Call me back as soon as you get this. I..." I suddenly realized that I couldn't exactly give her a blow-by-blow account; the answering machine would cut me off, and it was TMI for poor Jasper.

I swallowed hard, and explained in words I didn't even want to think. "I think you were right."

I made my way back to the kitchen, where Esme was bustling about preparing dinner, and Edward was animated, telling her a story about a dog in his apartment building. She let out a natural, enchanting laugh.

I lingered in the doorway, not wanting to interrupt. Edward stopped midsentence, and looked up, breaking into a smile when he saw me.

"Bella! Back so soon?"

"It smells delicious," I said, directing my attention toward Esme's bubbling pot, from which an amazing aroma was drifting.

"I'm glad you think so," Esme beamed. "Dinner will be ready in just a second. Why don't I take your things up, and you can get unpacked and washed up?"

Edward went to collect our bags, and Esme played tour guide, leading me upstairs and pointing out all the family photos along the way, with bonus commentary.

"...And here is Edward's room," she concluded happily, opening the door on a golden room with a big black iron bed, complete with gold bedspread. Esme surprised us by depositing both our bags in the room, and chirping, "Come down in five for dinner!"

She tried to leave, but Edward gently caught her shoulder.

"Mom, where is Bella's room?" Edward asked, with some trepidation, I thought.

"Oh," Esme waved her hand. "Sweetie, we don't have any illusions that you aren't..." she winked, and I cringed. "You'll share this room." With another wink, she swished toward the stairs like a fairy queen come to life.

"I'm really sorry about that," he muttered, redfaced. "I'll sleep on the couch."

"No," I grabbed his hand as he turned to go. "It's okay - stay."

He looked at me, and we stared at each other. Brain was completely absent from the equation, and Viv hijacked my system. My legs were wrapped around his waist in a nano-second.

I was tugging at Edward's shirt while he had the presence of mind to walk me backward and deposit me on the bed, relinquishing his hold on me in order to shut and lock the door. I quickly claimed his lips upon his return, and pulled off his shirt. He returned the favor.

Wrapping his forearms around my exposed torso, he lifted me up to the head of the bed before lavishing attention on my breasts. We were just as fevered as usual, but different somehow…I realized that this was the first time we had been on an actual bed together. When we were together, it was usually on a plane in some capacity, or on the couch at my place – I wouldn't allow anyone into the sanctuary of my bedroom, and I told him I didn't think I could handle seeing his place just yet. But that was understandable, since this was a purely sex arrangement – no romance necessary.

Maybe that was why the addition of a bed made me slightly uncomfortable – it gave me the impression that we were moving toward something more.

In my impatience and agitation, I interrupted his ministrations and straddled him, pushing him down on the bed and essentially ripping off his pants.

"Oh, fuck," he gasped as I took him in my hands and wrapped my lips around him. Just for fun, I teased him with the tip of my tongue. "Bella, you'll be the death of me."

I grinned, and took him over the edge.

"So much for dinner," he panted.

"Oh no," I whispered. "Poor Esme! We should go downstairs...she made such a lovely dinner..."

"No," he growled, seizing me around the waist and flipping our positions so that I forgot why I ever wanted to leave the bed. "If you think that she doesn't know exactly what we're up to, you're sorely mistaken - I'll bet she's nearly choking with satisfaction right now."

In a few seconds, _I_ was nearly choking with satisfaction.

I woke up at two a.m., clearly jet-lagged. Edward had no such problem, having consumed a bag of dried cherries, which he swore by. You'd think a flight attendant would get over time changes by now, I grumbled to myself. Unable to return to my more-than-peaceful slumber, I observed Edward in his natural state.

And then I got curious. I knew from college and the cruelty of Alice and Rose that I was a huge sleeptalker – moreover, I was known to answer questions in my sleep. Could it be that Edward was a sleeptalker too?

"Edward," I hissed lightly – not enough to alarm, just enough to seep through to his subconscious. Nothing. "Edward," I said again, about to give up. Still nothing. I sighed and put my head back down on my pillow, rolling over in an attempt to sleep.

"Belll-llaaa."

My eyes snapped open.

"Belll-llaaa?"

I rolled over.

"I'm here," I whispered. "I'm here, Edward."

"I hafta…" he gave a gentle snore. "Hafta tell…"

"Tell me what?" I needed to know.

"Belll-llaaa. I love…Belll-llaaa."


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N - Happy Memorial Day Weekend for those of you in the USA! I hope you like this chapter - we get to see Flyward's sentimental side. :D**

**Chapter Sixteen**

Secret: I don't have a single childhood memory that includes both of my parents.

* * *

Previously, in MHC:

_"Belll-llaaa?"_

_I rolled over._

_"I'm here," I whispered. "I'm here, Edward."_

_"I hafta…" he gave a gentle snore. "Hafta tell…"_

_"Tell me what?" I needed to know._

_"Belll-llaaa. I love…Belll-llaaa."_

* * *

After that, how COULD I sleep? I stared at the ceiling with eyes wider than the Mississippi.

Edward loved me.

Alice had been right.

I had been _very_ wrong.

How could I have been so deluded? My brain whirled as my exhausted eyes fought sleep. Friends with benefits don't bring each other home to meet the family...which meant that to him, we were something more...but he never said anything...

As light began to filter through the curtains, Edward rolled over, gave an unconscious mumble, and slung his arm around my waist.

I smiled involuntarily, and realized with a jolt that maybe I wanted this. I began to question my motives from the start, having difficulty remembering how we got to this point. Had I always felt chemistry with Edward, and nothing more? Or had I closed myself off to something more, in the interest of keeping myself from getting hurt?

I closed my eyes finally and relished the feel of his warm, heavy arm across my body. Natural. Safe. I could get used to that feeling for the rest of my life.

I opened my eyes again as a nagging voice in the back of my head said, _he never told you he loves you, so how do you know that it's true? Maybe you imagined it..._

_I didn't_, I thought firmly. _I heard it_.

_But just because he said it in his sleep doesn't mean that he means it...maybe it was a dream...maybe it was platonic...maybe you were making him a sandwich..._

I woke to a blue sky and a stomach knotted with doubt. Edward had rolled over again, curled in a ball like a cat. His hair was adorably ruffled, and his expression was peaceful, but I was too agitated to stay in bed and watch him sleep. I was glad that he was no longer touching me - it made it easier for me to slip out of bed and go in search of coffee. Maybe caffeine would help me make sense of this.

"Good morning - I trust you had a pleasant sleep?" was Esme's greeting as I slunk into the kitchen in a pair of Edward's boxers and a tank top. She was perched on a stool, looking more pert than anyone had a right to this early in the morning. She was also wearing a misleadingly innocent expression. I flushed scarlet, realizing that she knew exactly what we had been up to.

"Yes, ma'am," I mumbled, feeling like a schoolgirl cornered by a ridiculously adorable nun.

"Good," she smiled. "I'm sure Edward is still sleeping...that boy is like a log. Hard to tire out, but once you do..."

I flushed a brighter pink.

Edward walked in just then, yawning and stretching. He reached up and rumpled his hair further. He spotted me and smiled sweetly.

I jerked my head to the left, redirecting his gaze to Esme, who looked very much like a cat that had gotten into the creamery.

Edward blushed and scooted over by me, tugging down on his t-shirt, the hem of which was lounging loosely around his abs and waistband.

"Morning, Auntie."

"Good morning," she said brightly. "I was just saying to Bella that you ought to give her a tour of the neighborhood. Why don't I send you out with some coffee," she pushed two travel mugs toward us "and we can all have a nice brunch together when Carlisle gets in from the hospital, hmm?"

Edward grinned. "You're the best." He kissed her, grabbed the two mugs in one hand, and my hand in the other, and pulled me from the room.

"You're right," I whispered in the hall. "She _definitely_ knew what we were up to."

"Doesn't miss a trick, that woman," said Edward fondly.

"Yeah, she and Alice should get together and start a matchmaking service," I muttered.

When we were dressed, Edward took me around the neighborhood, pointing out neighbors' houses and giving me a little color about each. About fifteen minutes into our walk, we reached a little park. It was surprisingly empty; not even the kids were on the playground.

I grabbed his hand and ran to the swings, plopping down on one that was particularly low to the ground. I hated the ones you had to jump to sit on. I always fell off those.

"I love this place - I haven't been here in years," Edward said in amazement. "I used to come as a little boy. My parents used to bring me. I have this one memory of them where my mother was pushing me on the swing, and my father suddenly vanished. My mom and I were looking for him like you would play "I Spy." And then he crept up behind her and grabbed her around the waist, and she was giggling like mad. She twisted out of his grip and ran the slide, and he pursued her, trying to tickle her. And they just dashed about the playground for minutes on end until he caught her on the junglegym. I kept swinging and watching, and that was how I learned to swing on my own."

I was startled; it was a lovely story. I glanced over to find him staring at the ground. I reached over and slipped my hand through his.

"They died in a car crash a few years ago," he told me softly.

Flustered, and unsure whether or not I was supposed to have known this via Emmett, I settled for squeezing his hand.

"They would have loved you. It hurts to remember them..."

"You don't have to talk about them if it's hard," I whispered. He shook his head.

"When I'm with you," he hesitated "I want to remember. Everything. All the good and the bad - it feels like honoring their memory."

"You honor their memory by being you," I blurted.

He stared at me, and I held his gaze, too stunned by my own outburst to blush. His eyes were burning, so bright that I had to look away but couldn't, and then without thinking, I kissed him.

"I can't imagine what that must have been like," I said softly, trying to picture a world without Charlie and Renee. They had never been together for me, so it was like the obliteration of two seperate worlds in one stroke.

"It was...beyond difficult," he said heavily. "I wasn't coping well. I basically cut myself off from the rest of the world, began to take an interest in reckless sports, became a hermit cum adrenaline junkie. Fortunately, Carlisle, Esme, and Emmett intervened. I owe them my life - they're the best people I know. Their love helped me remember why life was worth living. People die...and we will always continue to love them. But there are always new relationships to be found, and it's a disservice to loved ones lost to forget that."

I stared at my hands, tears pooling in my eyes. The beauty of his philosophy moved me, and there was a deep ache in my chest, some subconscious sense of wrongdoing and guilt.

"Tell me about your parents," Edward requested suddenly.

I looked up in surprise. "Charlie and Renee? Umm...Renee was my best friend growing up. She's very unreliable, but impossible to be angry with. A winning combination for her," I laughed. "I remember when I was seven, I had my first dance recital, and I felt sure that she wasn't going to show up. I even told her so, but she insisted that she would be there, so much that I told myself that if she didn't show, I would never speak to her again. I kept peeking through the curtain, all throughout the other performances, and she didn't show. I went onstage feeling both angry and disappointed, but also motivated by the bitter conviction that I had been right. Halfway through the performance she burst in with a giant pink stuffed elephant. I laughed so hard that I fell, and was asked never to return to ballet. But that's what makes Renee loveable - even if she doesn't follow through, she will always address the elephant in the room in her own creative way."

Edward laughed loudly, his laughter echoing across the playground. He smiled and nodded encouragingly for me to continue with a story about Charlie. Charlie...I bit my lip. There wasn't a single story that could sum him up. He was a simple man, but a mystery, too. That was what made us so compatible - we rarely allowed ourselves to be discovered.

"He taught me everything," I admitted. "How to fish, how to ride a bike...he and I are very alike in that we don't mind being alone."

"He sounds like a good dad," Edward said thoughtfully.

It was quiet for a moment, peaceful on his side, but with growing tension on mine.

"Your turn," I declared.

I stared at the beautiful, strong, man with a tragic past, a loving man who held my hand and charmed me with stories from his childhood as we continued to swing.

In the bubble of Chicago, I felt safe. Here, on an abandoned playground swing, I could allow myself to admit that I felt something more.


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N - please don't kill me for this one - Bella's gotta do what Bella's gotta do!**

**Chapter Seventeen**

Secret: I can be really, really stupid sometimes. And I guess that's not exactly a secret. But sometimes, there are just no words for what I do to my life.

On Monday morning, I awoke to birdsong. Everything in my life was as close to perfect as possible - I had spent a glorious weekend out of town, Edward and his family (maybe) loved me, and in just a few minutes I would be able to analyze it all to pieces with my best friends.

I drove to work humming - actually humming. I hadn't hummed since Mike. Self consciously, I grinned at myself in the rearview mirror for being such a fool. A love-sick fool.

I blushed, and then laughed at myself for being so ridiculous as to feel embarrassed for something I'd only thought. Did I love Edward? It had been easy to acknowledge my feelings for him on his home turf, but now that we were back at work, I was having some difficulty coming to terms with this new level to our relationship. Maybe it wasn't professional, but at least we weren't like Romeo and Juliet.

Pulling into the lot, I spotted Edward straightaway. He was standing in my parking space with a grin, and the sight of him in his captain's uniform made my stomach flip over.

"Hi," he called, as I playfully pretended to run him over, before getting out of the car.

"Hi," I replied, my face splitting wide open in a giant smile. As I walked toward him, that smile promptly slid off my face and transformed into an 'o' of horror. Just over his shoulder, I had caught a glimpse of TBJ standing by the door.

"What is she doing here?" I gasped.

Edward looked extremely confused, turning his head from side to side to discover what had me so rattled. He followed my gaze to Jessica, who was leaning against the stairs and looking very bored. I jumped right into Edward's path so he served as my human shield - she couldn't see me. Not now.

"Oh. Do you know her? The airline is shifting some personnel around - we picked up a few new people, so I guess she's on our flight today. Somebody must be out - she's just a fill-in."

"Right," I stuttered, swaying as he shifted from foot to foot to keep in his shadow. Edward gave me an odd look. Yeah, I'm a freak. I know.

"Listen, um," I said, trying to think of a way to difuse the situation. "I really have to pee, so I'm going to head on in to the locker room to change, okay? I'll see you in the air." I leaned up on my tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek, and ran around the back of the plane to a back entrance before he could protest and TBJ could see.

Feeling slightly panicky, I tried to assure myself that I'd just bought some time to think. I was pulling on my uniform when someone called my name.

"Bella? I know you're in here."

I stayed silent, thinking that if I just kept my mouth shut, she'd go away.

BANG!

I shrieked as the door flew open to reveal a very annoyed-looking Rosalie.

"God, what is WRONG with you?" she wanted to know. "You can chillax, okay? Alice isn't even here - she's playing hooky with Jasper, but she wants you to meet her for drinks tonight at seven. So you have all day before the Spanish Inquisition."

I was so relieved that I flung my arms around her neck.

"Alright, alright," she batted me away, nicely. "What is with you today? Does Edward live with the pod people, or something? Because the Bella I know is not this hyper."

"Edward's family is perfectly lovely," I told her.

"Yeah? When's the wedding?" she grinned.

I ignored her, embarrassed. "I'll tell you more in a minute. But can you call Emmett? TBJ is here, and I was hoping he could walk with us to the plane."

"What? That ho! Why is she here? Yeah, hang on."

I tried to gather my thoughts as Rose summoned Emmett to be my impromptu bodyguard. I might as well tell her now, as practive for Alice.

"So, spill," she said, snapping her phone shut, and opening the door. We cautiously stepped outside.

"His family is really nice," I repeated, not knowing what else to say.

"Yeah...and what else?"

"What else is there?" I said blankly.

Rose looked mad. "Bella, this is big! He clearly loves you - are you guys an item, or what?"

"I don't know!" I blurted, feeling overwhelmed.

"You don't know?" she said in disbelief. "What don't you know? Do you love him, or not?"

"I...like him," I finished lamely.

Rosalie made a noise of disgust.

"He's a good friend!" I persisted, my voice rising defensively. "We're just friends with benefits, that's all - we're close, but..."

"Hello, ladies." Emmett came around the corner, looking a little graver than was natural for him.

I stopped speaking abruptly, and turned fucshia. Oh, God, had he heard what I'd said?

"Hi, Em," Rose said, looking bored. "Bella needs to use your bulk so she can cower behind you and avoid her ex-arch-nemesis."

None of us spoke after that.

Once I was on the plane, I made it my life's work to avoid Jessica. This mainly involved stalking her from a distance, so that I was apprised of her movements at all times, and she couldn't sneak up on me. In the process, I noticed that she was getting pretty friendly with Edward.

When the seatbelt sign went off, I crept to the front of the cabin under the guise of getting more Minute-Maid juice boxes, which were in the cupboard behind the cockpit.

"Oh, Edward, you are so funny!" she cried, placing her hand on his forearm.

My blood ran cold. What was I walking in on?

Whatever words they exchanged next were too quiet for me to hear, and I didn't dare creep closer, for fear of being caught. I had to return to the main cabin then, but after finishing the first round of drinks, I snuck back, and they were _still talking_.

I shut my eyes, leaning against the wall, trying not to freak out.

"Your hair looks really great like that," I heard her tell him. I saw a hand reach forward and touch the top of his head with manicured fingernails.

"Um, thanks," he said, sounding bemused. "So, correct me if I'm wrong, but do you know Bella?"

There was a silence, and I felt sure that they could hear my heart beating.

"Bella Swan?" TBJ said softly. "Is she here? We worked together for years."

That's right, ho. Until you made my life a living hell!

"I thought it must be something like that," he said. "It must be nice to be back together, then."

"Of course," Jessica simpered. "And it's so nice to meet her friends, too..." she trailed off suggestively, and I left. I'd had enough.

I couldn't believe how stupid I'd been. Of course Jessica would flirt with Edward. Of course he'd be fine with her fawning all over them. They made more sense as a couple. She was glamorous, like I wasn't, she probably wasn't an angry drunk the way I was, and she'd be all too happy to be Edward's girlfriend with no fuss. I should have known that Edward wasn't for me. I was just an easy lay, that was all. Oh, we were good friends. We made sense intellectually, and his family liked me - but that was it. I was the girl next door, but this was no movie.

* * *

"OH. MY. GOD," Alice squealed, as soon as I walked into the bar. Everyone looked over at her, and not just because they were hoping she was going to dance on the bar, either. "Tell me _everything_," she demanded.

I was reluctant to divulge any part of my weekend. Especially now that my perfect little fantasy had been shattered. Things that good don't happen to people in real life. Or, at least not to the _right_ people, I thought bitterly, thinking of TBJ.

"It was good," I said with a noncommittal shrug. Alice's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, come on, Bella, you've got to be kidding me - tell me," she begged, actually clasping her hands together.

"You know, you and Esme would get along great," I muttered.

"What is she like?" she asked excitedly. "Did she and Carlisle seem supportive of the two of you together?"

"There is no together," I said miserably. "But TBJ might try to get with him."

"TBJ? What does she have to do with this?" Alice asked, looking stunned.

"She was on the plane today, and she and Edward were looking pretty cozy," I admitted, feeling gloomier than ever.

"Oh, Bella," Alice snorted. "You have got to get over this obsession with her."

"I am not obsessed with her!" I half-yelled.

"Yes you are - it's an extension of your Mike issues," she insisted. "That's why you have difficulty being in a relationship with Edward."

"I AM NOT IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH EDWARD. FOR THE LAST TIME, WE ARE FUCK BUDDIES, SEX FRIENDS, BEST FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT."

Almost everyone in the bar looked over. Alice seemed shocked.

"Bella, come on. Why can't you give him a chance? This is because you're still not over Mike, isn't it," she guessed.

No, it's because I want to be in a relationship with him, but I just haven't got a chance. Not while I'm me, and there are girls like TBJ floating around. Which is to say, never.

"Yeah," I agreed heavily, deciding a lie hurt less than the truth. "Maybe now I can get back with him, since he and Jess seem to be broken up."

There was a loud crash next to us, and Alice and I jumped in surprise. There was a man standing in the shadows, shaking, and cupping his fist with one hand, like he'd just punched the wall. I was immediately concerned - was he having a seizure?

"Sir? Are you alright?" I moved closer, and the lights from the dance floor swung around, washing his face in blue.

Edward.


	19. Chapter 18

**A/N - sorry this is a little late/short - All sorts of things have been happening to me this weekend - for example, half an hour ago I had to escape with a friend from an unmarked cab that tried to take us to a warehouse. So, my apologies.**

**Chapter Eighteen**

Secret: I am an awful liar. There are a few things I've lied about, and here is the truth: I love Edward. I just wish it weren't too late.

I goggled at Edward.

"Alice," he said in acknowledgement. "Bella." He nodded coldly.

I was seventeen different shades - my head seemed to be on fire, but I'd never felt such a chill emanate from anyone.

"Bella," Edward said again, his tone polite and controlled "may I speak to you for a moment?" I managed to nod, too dumbstruck to do anything else. "In private," he added pointedly.

Legs shaky as a new colt's, I followed him over to a potted palm.

"Well, that was certainly illuminating," he said darkly.

"I'm sorry," I stuttered.

"Sorry? That I heard, or for how you feel?" I didn't answer. "Or don't feel, rather," he went on. "God, I've been such a fool - I must have been a real joke to you, wasn't I, Bella? Just a laugh...just a piece of ass."

"No," I protested meekly. "That's not..."

"That's not what? You can't just say it was all a misunderstanding. You can't say that you don't know how I felt about you."

"I don't," I whispered defiantly. "You never said..."

His eyes flashed in the semidarkness. "Don't be naive. People who have a simple hook-up arrangement do not go home to meet the family. You're telling me that the whole time I took you to meet Carlisle and Esme you believed that we were merely friends with benefits?"

Though his expression was as hard as ever, though I knew I deserved this and more, I couldn't help noting the hope in his face. He wanted me to tell him he was wrong, that it was all a mistake, that I felt the same way about him as he did about me. I failed. He gave a humorless laugh and turned away. I had hesitated, because I still didn't know how he felt about me.

"What are we?" I wondered quietly. "I have some idea of how you feel, but I need to know - if we're going to...overcome this..."

He stared at me, like I was a slug. I quailed under his gaze, feeling miserable. _If I had known, if I had known_...I chanted in my head. But you did know, pointed out an awful little voice. This wasn't the product of ignorance - this was your choice.

"I loved you," said Edward, and his words couldn't have cut me more. They were damning, frigid in their past tense. I panicked, and began spouting word vomit.

"Edward, look at me, Edward, please, I - I love you, too..." I tried to grab his arm but he pulled it out of my grasp.

"Forgive me for saying so," he said calmly. "But I find that a bit difficult to believe. Take care of yourself, Bella."

And with that, he turned and strode from the building. I stumbled back to Alice, dazed. I loved Edward. I loved him, and I told him, and he didn't believe me. What had I done? Horrified, I sank into my seat, my fingers groping for my drink. Rose had joined us.

"What happened?" Alice looked stricken, Rose seemed almost...dispassionate as she surveyed me, waiting for my reply.

"He loved me..." I mumbled. Aliced seized on the word.

"Love? He _loves_ you? Or _loved_?" she demanded.

"He said he loved me," I admitted miserably. "And I love him," I confessed, burying my face in my hands. Rosalie clicked her tongue in a noise of disgust, and I raised my head to glare at her.

"This is all your fault!" I shouted.

"_My_ fault! How? You did a pretty excellent job of screwing your life without my help," she snapped.

"You told Emmett," I howled. "I don't know what you said -"

"I told him nothing more or less than what you told us - that you considered Edward a fuck buddy, and nothing more."

"You knew how I felt about him! You knew I...I loved him."

"Did I?" Rose quirked an eyebrow. "You certainly have a funny way of showing it. How many times have you said to us, 'we're just friends, I don't have feelings for him.' God, you're pathetic."

I was nearly speechless with rage. "Emmett is Edward's best friend! You _knew_ -"

"That he would tell Edward? Yes, I knew there was a chance of that. Emmett didn't like to think that his best friend was being led on. He didn't want Edward to be crushed...again. And I have to say, I agree."

She pushed out from her chair and stalked out the door just as Edward had done. I was left with Alice, who was looking thoroughly shocked and miserable - just as bad as I felt.

"Well," she said weakly, not looking at me. "At least you love each other."


	20. Chapter 19

**A/N - Writing from an airport...yet again...it works for the story, though! Enjoy :)**

**Chapter Nineteen**

Secret: I'm actually not completely over Mike.

I spent a miserable couple of weeks at work. I wasn't speaking to Rose, and I was avoiding Edward like the plague, meaning that my interaction with Emmett was pretty sparse as well. Basically, the only two people that kept me from using all vocal function at all were Alice and Jasper.

"Just like the good old days," she joked nervously, as we had our first Shoe Saturday for two. Rose, she had explained apologetically, had made plans with Emmett. A polite way of saying that she was on boycott.

I shrugged, as if to say, _I ain't even mad_. But, I _so_ was. How DARE Rose act like this was_ my_ fault! I mean, okay, I knew I wasn't blameless in this affair, but it was none of her business, I hadn't done anything _blatantly_ wrong, and she had betrayed the bonds of sisterhood.

"Yeah," I muttered, with a swig of my mimosa and a gratuitous glance at my latest conquest in the field of retail therapy: a delicious pair of Steve Madden pumps that Alice had persuaded me would aid me in my pursuit of happiness. Once, that is, Edward forgave me/I got over him/I stopped hating Mike and TBJ/I got my shit together. Which was to say, never.

It was extremely unhelpful that the consolidation of airlines continued, so that That Bitch Jessica appeared to be a semi-permanent fixture on our freaking little plane. I had never realized quite how tiny a Boeing 757 could be until I was trying to avoid three people at once. When you are thousands of feet above the ground in an enclosed space, there are not many options for evasive action.

TBJ was still onboard, and I still loathed her with every fiber of my being. Every fiber of my being that wasn't dedicated to loathing Mike, or being contrite over my treatment of Edward, that is.

I glared at her as I wheeled out my drink cart, watching her bend down with a smile to listen to an elderly gentleman's request for a blanket_…that's right, simper at him…whore, _I fumed_. With your stupid face…stupid hair…stupid ginormous boobs that take up half your body…_of course Mike would be dumb enough to fall for such a floozy. I just would never have put Edward in that camp, I thought sadly, as I watched her pause conspicuously to wink at him as he emerged from the cockpit.

He looked startled, but favored her with a half-smile before he noticed me crouching behind the seat. Edward looked hastily away, a dull flush creeping up the back of his neck as he disappeared into the cockpit again.

Crap-o-la.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, then, and I jumped half a mile into the air, nearly dumping an opened bottle of water onto a middle-aged woman wearing an artsy scarf and a whole lot of unusual gold jewelry. She looked scandalized, clutching her scarf to her throat, her eyes bulging out of her head.

Whatever, lady. I saved the water – whatcha gonna do, report my unprofessionalism? The owner happens to love me. Or at least he did.

With a sort of perverse pleasure, I took out my phone right in front of her, wondering what she'd do. She made an impatient clicking noise with her tongue as I scrolled through my texts, fielding a new one from Alice.

URGENT: DEVIL ON BOARD.

I felt the blood drown out of my face as Madam Artsy-Fartsy clucked, "Really!"

I resisted the urge to shush her, in favor of scuttling to the back of the plane to find Alice, leaving my drink cart right in the aisle where it was.

Seizing her arm, I yanked her over into 26 D and E, grateful that it was a fairly empty flight.

"Tell me you are joking," I begged hoarsely. Alice looked pale and scared.

"I just saw him…if you managed to avoid him so far, maybe he won't see you. You can switch with me and stay back here – I'll go up by TBJ."

I threw my arms around her slender neck in thanks.

Already, I could see TBJ craning her neck over the seats, standing by my abandoned drink cart with a puzzled expression. I peered between the seats at her when I saw the many-ringed hand of Madam Artsy-Fartsy float into the air to point back toward me.

"Head her off!" I whispered to Alice, ducking low as she climbed over me and went to reclaim my rogue beverage cart.

"Where is Isabella?" demanded TBJ. "According to the passengers in row seven, she just left. I don't think that management will be pleased – "

"Bella is sick," Alice snapped. "She is a little preoccupied right now, but if you want to bother her and have her throw up on you, be my guest. A little vomit would certainly do something to accessorize your outfit," she added nastily.

Go, Alice.

Thanks to the help of my tiny, awesome, lifesaver of a best friend, I managed to avoid both Mike and TBJ for the rest of the flight. In fact, I managed to hide from her in the locker room, too. I snuck out in time to hear her complain loudly to Edward in honeyed tones of false concern.

"Whatever happened to Isabella?" she wondered in her nasally voice. "She was acting so odd. She just abandoned her drink cart! Someone should report her."

To my surprise, Edward stayed silent, though his expression flickered when she said the word 'odd.' But maybe he was just a grammar-nazi, and wanted to correct her, like I did. _ODDLY,_ you nitwit - I had been acting _oddly_.

"Hopefully she'll be more herself tomorrow," he offered quietly.

I stepped out when they had passed, coming face to face with Mike.

"Bella!" I cringed, and he actually did the oddest thing - his face brightened. "God, it's good to see you."

And then he pulled me into an awkward, one armed hug. As I relaxed into his grip, I remembered why Mike and I had been good together in the first place. Mike smelled like guy, not the heady, undefinable scent of Edward, but just plain guy. Mike was romantic, not in a 'let's fly to Brazil for a tiki torch dinner' way, but in a bunch of daisies and a card on an anniversary way. He was...decent. He wasn't amazing, but he was real. He was attainable - that I could see now.

"Hello, Mike." I managed a smile, and looked him over. He had none of Edward's graceful beauty, but his own sort of boyish charm. I was on his level now. I could prove that I was better, more desirable than TBJ.

"It's great to see you, too," I added, tossing in a flirty wink just because I felt like it. _Aren't you sorry you ever cheated on this?_ my smile seemed to communicate.

"Listen, what do you say we grab a drink..." he whispered, and I pursed my lips. "Some coffee? For old time's sake?"

"Actually, I have plans just now..." with a Gossip Girl marathon and a big bag of Cheetos "...but I'd love to take you up on that next week."

He grinned. "Cool."

With a mix of regret and smug satisfaction, I returned his hug, breaking it with a squeeze.

As I looked up, I saw Edward frozen by the water fountain, holding a jacket. He must have forgotten it, come back for it, because I didn't see TBJ. Feeling both guilty and defiant, I said "See you next week," to Mike and stalked past Edward to my car.


	21. Chapter 20

**A/N - I tried to make this chapter extra fun for y'all, so I hope you'll forgive me for saying that this is the only chapter for two weeks. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Twenty**

Secret: I am actually fairly gullible. You know that trick where someone says, "look, someone wrote I'm gullible on the ceiling?" I looked at the ceiling four times.

"Alice, have you seen my purse?" I dug through my locker, coming up as empty-handed as I had in the last twenty minutes I had been searching. My locker wasn't that big.

Alice turned to me, wide-eyed. "You know, I thought I saw a bag that looked like yours…I just assumed it was a passenger's. You better run back and get it before they prepare the plane for the next flight."

"You're right," I agreed in my confusion, though I didn't remember taking my bag on the flight at all.

I dashed out of the locker room, stumbling my way down to the tarmac. I tripped up the stairs to the little plane, which were still mercifully extended, and started up the aisle, glancing down at the seats.

"Oh."

I looked up to find Edward, who was rummaging in an overhead bin at the back.

"Bella?"

And then the door closed.

"What the -?"

Edward made a move toward the door, but the plane lurched then, and we both grabbed the seat backs.

I toppled sideways into a seat, but Edward managed to stay upright.

"We're going to die," I wailed breathlessly, realizing that we had been hijacked by an insane person.

Edward weaved his way toward me, despite our increasing velocity.

"We are not going to die," he assured me. "I'll handle this – "

"Goood afternoon. Boys and girls," boomed Emmet's voice over the loudspeaker. "This is your captain speaking! Please fasten your seatbelts – I'll let you know when it is safe to move about the cabin. Until then, sit back, and enjooooooy the ride!"

"I'll kill him," Edward muttered mutinously.

Clutching my heart with one hand, I was too relieved to feel angry. For three seconds, at least.

"How did they get you?" Edward asked darkly.

I looked blankly back.

"Emmett told me I'd dropped my wallet and it had been swept into an overheard bin. What did he tell you?"

"Alice," I realized with astonishment. "She said I left my purse…"

Edward shook his head and gave a humorless laugh. "What a pair of yentas."

"Friendship terminated," I fumed.

"You are now free to move about the cabin," Emmett announced. "The duration of this flight is to be determined by how long it takes you two to work it out. I have a full tank of fuel in this baby. Over and out."

You could totally tell he was grinning. Edward and I were totally not.

"What-are-how dare-" I sputtered. Edward merely looked grim.

We sat in silence for about five minutes, but it felt far longer than that. What was he waiting for? I flushed and paled, flushed and paled, and when I couldn't stand it anymore, my stupid mouth opened of its own accord.

"Say something," I begged.

Edward turned around in his seat and looked at me. "What do you want me to say, Bella? I had feelings for you, I thought you felt the same, but clearly you didn't. End of story."

He turned around again, but something in his tone made me feel sure that he wasn't done.

"You know what sucks?" he burst out. "You know what sucks about catching someone in a lie? Having to find out through someone else. Knowing that you don't feel good enough about who you are to work up the guts to tell me yourself."

I didn't fully understand what he was saying, but I heard enough to be angry.

"Who says I don't feel good about myself?" I demanded, glaring at him defiantly.

He arched his eyebrows. "I see two options: either you were so confused about your own feelings that you put up a wall, or you were indifferent to my feelings and took what you could without caring if you hurt me. Please enlighten me if I'm wrong."

"I didn't mean to hurt you," I mumbled.

"Maybe you didn't mean to, but you did. It happened."

There was another silence. At some point, we'd both stood up, and we were swaying now with the light fluctuations of the plane. I wondered vaguely if Emmett could somehow hear us – he was awfully quiet up there.

I thought about what Edward had said. He had been pretty perceptive. According to him, I had either put up a wall, not cared about hurting him, or a third option. Number two, I knew, definitely was not true. I didn't want to look to closely at the first choice, so I tried to find another option, but came up with nothing.

"You're right," I whispered.

"Excuse me?"

"You're right," I repeated, my voice stronger this time. "I did put up a wall. I was confused, and scared."

"Scared of what?" he asked, looking taken aback. "Did I ever treat you badly?"

I shook my head hurriedly. "I'm not good enough for you," I said sadly. "I knew that you'd find someone better, so I didn't want to get attached."

"That's stupid," he said, seemingly stunned.

"No it's not," I said coldly. "Look at you and Jessica!"

"Me and _Jessica_?" he yelped. "What about you and Mike?"

I stared. "Me and Mike aren't – "

"Neither are Jessica and I! Bella, there is nothing, no one I care about as much as I cared about you. I don't pretend to understand why you thought I would tire of you or leave you, but I assure you that I never had any intention of doing so."

I lifted my eyes from the carpet to look at him. He was watching me, his lovely eyes bright.

I opened my mouth to speak, without finding words to say, and the plane lurched, flinging me into Edward.

He caught me reflexively, and then we were kissing, my arms locked around his neck, my fingers in his hair, his arms tight across my waist and back.

I broke away, suddenly knowing what I meant to say.

"I loved you. I was scared, I pretended I didn't, but…I truly loved you," I admitted, biting my lip before I steeled myself to say the hardest part. "I _do_ love you."

Edward stared at me, eyes wide, saying nothing.

I want you back," I breathed. "If I ever truly had you at all, I was a fool, and…I miss you."

He stared at me, holding me up with both arms. For a horrible moment, I felt sure he was going to reject me. Before I could swallow my words back up, rush to erase what I'd admitted, his beautiful mouth broke into a grin.

"Bella…I've missed you, too. God, I've missed you." He held me close again and kissed me. "If you mean what you said, if you really want me…" he hesitated, licking his lips almost nervously.

"Yes?" I breathed.

"Then…I guess I'm yours."

I flung my arms around his neck, and we heard Emmett on the loudspeaker.

"Contact to Alice: Mission Accomplished."


	22. Chapter 21

**A/N - Hey y'all! I'm back...but I must inform you that this is the second-to-last chapter. As always, I hope you'll enjoy it!**

**Chapter Twenty One**

Secret: I am awful at holding grudges.

"I hate you all." I stuck my nose in the air as I strode past Emmett, who was laughing his head off, Rose, who was lurking twenty feet away, her expression inscrutable, and Alice, who was trying to look worried instead of pleased, and was failing miserably.

"No she doesn't," Edward murmured as we passed.

I nearly smiled as he put his hand at my back. Nearly.

Finally, everything made sense. Finally, I had someone to belong to. Not just anyone, but Edward. I grinned up at him, once we had moved beyond the traitors.

"M'lady," he said gallantly, opening his car door for me. "Where to?"

"Hmmm…" Vivian was all for heading back to his place, my place, a park bench, anywhere for a little celebration…Brain, on the other hand, had other matters to attend to. "I think you should take me out for a celebratory cocktail, and then we can strategize."

"Strategize?" He looked adorably confused. I noticed that his hair was still sticking up at the back, a souvenir of our reconciliation.

I nodded, doing my best to look severe. "Oh yes. We have to plot our revenge."

Edward looked conflicted. "But," he tried to point out "didn't they do us a favor?"

I shrugged. "That may be true, but there was still an awful lot of trickery going on, and they must be made to face the consequences."

Edward was reluctant to take any part in my "punishment," so I assured him when we pulled up to the bar that all he would have to do was call each of them when I said so.

When I sent him to call Emmett in first, I was rather enjoying myself, playing Godfather. If, the Godfather drank Appletinis, that is.

"Yeah?" Emmett looked kind of nervous, which was odd for him. I grinned, waving Edward away. I didn't want him to know I was such a softie. Yet.

"Have a seat, Emmett." I was really enjoying myself a little too much. It was fun to be in a position of power – to be unpredictable, for once. To hide my smile, I took a fortifying sip of cocktail.

"What's up, Bella?" He crossed his arms.

"You tricked us," I accused, pointing my finger at him.

"Are you kidding me? We totally did you guys a favor! You both had your heads up your – "

"I won't deny that the outcome was good," I cut in. "Be that as it may, there was still an awful lot of manipulation going on, and we want retribution."

"…And by 'we' you mean you," Emmett snorted. "Edward looks a little freaked."

We both glanced over at the bar, where Edward hastily whipped his head around so that he was facing in the opposite direction.

I shrugged, dropping all bad-guy pretense. "Doesn't hurt to keep him on his toes."

Emmett laughed. "So, what exactly did you have in mind, little lady?"

"Well, you and Rose never did give us our turn on the private jet, so I was thinking now would be a pretty good time to cash in that particular coupon," I grinned. "As penance, you can fly us somewhere nice, like…Brazil, say."

"Brazil?"

Edward glanced our way and I put on my mean face.

"Don't push it, Buster," I said loudly.

"Seriously, though, that's some major flying," he grumbled.

"Deal or no deal?"

"Deal," he said grudgingly "on one condition. Forgive Rose. She misses you."

"We'll see." I tried to arrange my features in a haughty expression, but Rose was already forgiven. Emmett must have guessed the truth, because he smiled and stood up.

"See you tomorrow, Swan," he whispered. "Fine. Whatever," he burst out, throwing a dark look toward Edward before storming out.

I beckoned Edward back over.

"What did you do to him?" Edward asked quietly as he approached the table.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out. Don't look so glum," I said sharply. "This benefits you, too. Now I'd like to see Alice."

Alice looked defiant as she strode into the bar, snapping her cell phone shut. She didn't take kindly to being summoned to her own special bar. As soon as she reached me, though, she slumped down into the seat that had been recently vacated by Emmett.

"Bella, I know we tricked you, but you were so miserable, and so was he, Emmett told me, and so I concocted this plan, and it worked, so really - " she babbled on, but I literally had to place my hand over her mouth to get her to shut up.

When it looked like she would stop speaking for a moment, I took my hand away and laid it on top of hers.

"Thank you," I said quietly. "You were right. About everything. I may not agree with your methods, but you have the best heart, Alice. I trust you, and I should have remembered that."

Alice burst into tears and flung her arms around me, knocking over my drink. Only when she realized that a rivulet of my spilled Appletini was careening toward her white jeans did she leap up, pat me on the head, and run to fetch Rose as I requested.

This was the meeting I was most nervous about. Rosalie wasn't exactly easy on any day, but we'd never gotten into a fight like this before. I braced myself for whatever was coming.

She was quiet, and she moved slowly toward me. She sat, and we stared at each other, neither hostile nor friendly. I got the distinct impression that we were both uncertain of how to begin, and I wondered how long the awkward silence would last when we both blurted at the same time, "Sorry."

We stared some more, and then laughed quietly.

"I'm sorry for what I did...ratting you out to Emmett," she said, looking at her hands. "I didn't think what you were doing was right...but I wasn't right to do that, either."

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you in the first place, and that I was being such a moron," I said sincerely. "And it all worked out, didn't it?"

Rose looked up and smiled for the first time. We made plans for the next Shoe Saturday, and she too stood and left.

I walked over to Edward.

"And then there were none," I whispered in my creepiest voice, but he just looked at me with skepticism.

"You really laid down the law, huh?"

"You betcha," I said sternly, but then my frown cracked wide open into a brilliant smile, and I took his hand. "Let's go home."


	23. Chapter 22

**A/N – Thank you to all of you who have stuck through to the end, to my faithful reviewers. I appreciate it always. **

**If you're interested in more, next Friday I'll post the start of "Reckless," a sequel to "Careful".**

**Thank you again, and as always…enjoy!**

**Chapter Twenty-two**

Secret: I think Edward might be The One. And by 'I think,' I mean, he definitely is.

"Ready for takeoff?"

"Yes!" we chorused.

I waved madly out the window at Alice, who beamed. She, Edward, Jasper and I had gone on a double date last night, playing minigolf. I was ecstatic. Though miniature golf didn't usually produce such strong emotional reactions, it seemed to me to be just about the couple-iest date activity ever, which confirmed that my relationship with Edward was real.

Even after all the trouble we'd gone to in order to get to where we were, it was difficult for me to accept that Edward loved me, truly loved me. It was fairly obvious that I was besotted. And I wanted to belong to him. Not that there was a rush to put a label on our relationship…after we'd worked it all out, we took a few steps back to dating again.

The engine revved into motion and Edward took my hand as we moved down the runway. When we lifted off, he leaned in and planted a kiss behind my ear.

"Are you ready?" he whispered, echoing Emmett.

"Roger that," I grinned. We stood, fairly steady with our in-flight legs. Even if we stumbled, we had the private jet, which was much cushier than our usual transport.

Edward began undoing the zipper on my dress, and I paused in my work on his buttons, struck by something Alice had once said.

"There aren't any cameras, are there?" I asked nervously.

Edward snorted. "You choose now to worry about cameras?" he said incredulously. "You didn't worry the first time, and we're in a private jet now."

"The first time was in a bathroom," I reminded him. "I don't want to be accidentally making a porno."

"Intriguing as that idea is," he kissed me. "No cameras."

Edward moved slowly, passionately, taking his time and letting his lips grace my neck…shoulder…chest. His hands gripped my hips and gently turned me around so that I was facing the window.

"Eyes on the skies," he murmured, before he removed my panties.

My palms splayed against the white, grainy plastic of the wall.

We rose high above the city, little houses dotting the expanse of land beneath us like confetti, like pinpricks. We drifted into cloud, and I was devoid of my usual fear of the whiteness, filled instead with love and the security of Edward's arms wrapped around me.

He knelt in front of me, ravishing me with his hot, silky tongue, lavishing me with his affections. It was too much. Tears started in my eyes as we broke through the clouds to a brilliant blue sky, the waves of pleasure both physical and visual quite overwhelming me.

My knees buckled as the sun burst through the clouds and Edward caught me in his arms. I immediately latched myself onto him, affixing my lips to his in gratitude for the most beautiful experience I had ever had.

I took my time with him, running my fingers down his torso, and scratching his scalp lightly with my nails, drawing forth a hum that nearly matched the purr of the jet engine. Still facing the window, he sank into me, and we continued to rise, both staring out the window when our attentions were not captured by our intermittent kisses.

Edward's hands snaked around my waist, sliding up to cup my breasts as he moved inside me; I drew my arms around his back, pulling him closer. We were soaring above the clouds now, clouds that spread out into an expanse of brilliant white, an Arctic seascape, dazzling with the reflected sunlight. Neither of us could close our eyes.

We came together, shaking in each others' arms, glowing with the light from the sky, which reverberated all around the cabin as we sank onto the couch, stunned and exhausted.

"That was…" I began, before deciding it was stupid to have spoken at all. There were no words.

"I know," he murmured, kissing my forehead sweetly, running his hands through my hair.

"I love you," I whispered, still thrilled when he said it back, no matter how many times I'd heard it.

We stayed like that for what could have been an eternity, until Emmett turned the fasten seatbelt sign back on, subtly indicating the start of our descent.

Lazily, we re-donned our scattered articles of clothing, and I turned to ask Edward if he could help me with my zipper, only to find him kneeling in front of me once more.

"We did this already – did you forget?" I laughed, startled, the adrenaline just beginning to spike through my veins.

"I wanted to ask you something," he said softly, clasping my hand in both of his own, and standing up.

With my heart in my throat, I tried to control my breathing enough to say, "Shoot."

Edward took a deep breath.

"Isabella Swan, will you be my girlfriend?"

I stared at him, watching his beautiful eyes boring into mine, tracing the contours of his face. There was a long moment of silence, in which I felt oddly at peace.

"Yes," I told him. "Yes, of course."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Edward said seriously, wrapping me in his arms.

"I thought you should have this," he told me, pulling a beribboned scroll from the overhead compartment. I looked at him in confusion, taking it and unwrapping it.

As I read it, I started to laugh, and flung my arms around his neck, tackling him onto the Italian leather couch.

The paper drifted to the carpet in the middle of the aisle. It read:

_Isabella Marie Swan and Edward Anthony Masen Cullen_

_are hereby inducted into the Mile High Club._

_The End_


End file.
